Google has confirmed reports it is ramping up activities on Christmas Island, an Australian territory located 350 km (220 miles) south of Indonesia, but has denied reports it is planning to build “a large AI data centre” on the island, as reported by Reuters. A spokesperson for the company said its activities were actually a continuation of its Australia Connect work to deliver subsea cable infrastructure, and that it would be revealing more details “soon”.
Google is in advanced talks to lease land near the island’s airport to construct the data hub, including a deal with a local mining company to secure its energy needs, Christmas Island Shire officials told Reuters. However, the airport is relatively near the sea and the capital, suggesting the proposal may relate to a cable landing station, which typically includes limited data centre capacity.
Australia’s Department of Defence recently signed a cloud-services deal with Google this year, which raises broader strategic questions about the island’s role going forward. A Christmas Island source, who declined to be named, said Google had requested a long-term energy supply deal for a 7 MW data facility using diesel and renewable power.
Google subsidiary Perch Infrastructure has lodged an EPBC referral for the installation phase of its Australia West subsea cable, with the filing showing the project will focus on landings at Madora Bay in Western Australia, Flying Fish Cove on Christmas Island, and Darwin in the Northern Territory. The referral also notes that the Interlink route – part of Google’s Australia Connect programme – includes a Torquay, Victoria landing as a separate element of the broader initiative.
The filing confirms US marine-engineering firm SubCom as the installation contractor and gives an indicative schedule for cable works to begin in February 2026 and run for about 10–12 months, while emphasising reuse of existing terrestrial conduits and standard onshore tie-ins at pop-out points. The referral notes the route crosses several Commonwealth marine parks but frames the proposed activity as limited to the marine environment, with detailed environmental assessments attached.
The Australia West cable forms part of Google’s Global Network Infrastructure group’s wider investment in new fibre-optic routes under its Australia Connect and Africa Connect initiatives. The Australia Connect initiative will deliver two key subsea cable systems – the Interlink cable, which will run between Torquay in Victoria, Madora Bay in Western Australia and Christmas Island before continuing northward to Asia; and the Bosun cable, connecting Christmas Island to Darwin in the Northern Territory.
Complementing these, the Africa Connect initiative includes the Umoja cable system linking Madora Bay to South Africa, establishing a new westward route that expands Australia’s global data reach.
According to the referral, the project will use existing terrestrial conduits where possible to reduce onshore construction impacts. Environmental assessments note that the route passes through several Commonwealth marine parks, though the company expects minimal long-term effects. Once complete, the new system will strengthen international connectivity between Australia, Asia and Africa.