Sydney, November 6, 2025- Google is reportedly planning to build a powerful new AI data center on Christmas Island, a tiny Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, marking one of the most remote locations yet chosen for the company’s expanding global cloud infrastructure.
According to the sources citing people familiar with the matter, Google is in advanced talks to lease land near the island’s airport for the proposed facility and is exploring the installation of a subsea cable connecting Christmas Island to Darwin in northern Australia.
The move would bring high-capacity data transmission to the island for the first time, potentially transforming it into a key digital outpost between Asia and Australia.
While Google has not yet issued a public statement, documents reviewed by Reuters suggest the project aims to bolster the company’s AI and cloud computing footprint in the Indo-Pacific. The data center would be powered by a combination of renewable energy and local generation, with discussions underway involving a local mining company to manage part of the island’s energy supply.
Defence and industry analysts told Reuters that the location could carry strategic value, given Christmas Island’s proximity to critical sea lanes and regional surveillance routes. The same remoteness that complicates construction could make it attractive for secure data operations and government-linked workloads.
Local authorities have confirmed awareness of early-stage consultations. The Shire of Christmas Island Council said it is “evaluating the potential economic and environmental impacts of any large-scale infrastructure project,” noting that the community remains cautious about balancing development with the island’s fragile ecosystem.
If completed, the project would extend Google’s broader network of AI-ready data centers and subsea cables across the Indo-Pacific, complementing ongoing infrastructure expansions in Darwin, Singapore, and Japan.
However, key details, including cost, capacity, and commissioning timelines, have not been disclosed.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Defence declined to comment when asked about potential dual-use applications. The project’s scope and intent, for now, remain under wraps as negotiations continue.
