When Google unveiled the Dhivaru subsea cable system on June 12, 2025, it didn’t just lay down fiber-optic wire—it planted a digital flag across one of the planet’s most strategically vital ocean corridors. The project connects the Maldives, Christmas Island, and Oman, with two new connectivity hubs rising in Addu City and on Christmas Island. This isn’t just about faster internet. It’s about future-proofing AI, stabilizing global data flows, and turning remote islands into digital powerhouses.
Why the Indian Ocean Matters More Than Ever
Over 95% of international data travels through subsea cables—not satellites, not wireless towers. And the Indian Ocean? It’s the crossroads between Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Oceania. But until now, its infrastructure has been patchy. Most cables snake through Singapore or the Suez Canal, leaving the southern Indian Ocean vulnerable. A single cable cut near the Maldives could knock out connectivity for millions. That’s why Bikash Koley, Google’s Vice President of Global Networking and Infrastructure, calls Dhivaru a "resilience play."
The Dhivaru cable spans roughly 7,500 kilometers, with landing points in Addu City (the southernmost tip of the Maldives), Christmas Island (Australia’s remote territory 350km south of Indonesia), and the port of Sohar in Oman. Unlike older cables that just shuttle data, Dhivaru is designed with redundancy in mind. If one segment fails—say, from a fishing trawler anchor or seismic shift—traffic automatically reroutes through the other two legs. It’s like having three highways instead of one.
The Hubs: More Than Just Fiber Endpoints
What makes this project groundbreaking isn’t just the cable—it’s the two connectivity hubs. These aren’t data centers. They’re smarter, leaner, and far more efficient.
Each hub performs three critical functions: cable switching, content caching, and colocation. Cable switching means data can instantly jump from one cable to another if there’s a fault. Content caching stores frequently accessed data—like Google Search results or YouTube videos—closer to users, cutting latency by up to 60%. Colocation lets local ISPs, governments, and businesses rent space to host their own servers, reducing reliance on distant cloud hubs in Singapore or Sydney.
And here’s the twist: these hubs use 80% less power than a standard Google data center. They don’t run AI training workloads. They’re optimized for networking. That means Google can partner with local utilities to power them with renewable energy—something already underway in Addu City, where solar microgrids are being expanded to support the hub.
Local Voices: A National Priority
For the Maldives, this is more than infrastructure—it’s sovereignty. President Mohamed Muizzu called Google’s investment a "strong signal of confidence" in his vision for a digitized, diversified economy. The Maldives, a nation of 1,200 islands, has long struggled with connectivity. Many remote atolls still rely on satellite links with 500ms latency. Dhivaru’s hub in Addu City will slash that to under 30ms.
"We’ve spent the last decade building our own subsea cables," said Ismail Rasheed, CEO of DHIRAAGU. "But partnering with Google? That’s the next leap. This isn’t just about speed. It’s about being part of the global digital backbone." His counterpart at Ooredoo Maldives, Khalid Al Hamadi, added that tourism operators will now be able to stream real-time guest experiences, run AI-powered booking systems, and even use digital twins of resorts for marketing—all without lag.
Christmas Island: From Prison Colony to AI Nexus
Christmas Island is a place most people don’t know exists. A 135-square-kilometer Australian territory, it’s best known for its crab migrations and former immigration detention center. Now, it’s becoming a critical node in Google’s global network.
Google is building a major AI data center here—its first in the Indian Ocean region. The Dhivaru cable feeds directly into it, allowing the island to serve as a regional cache for AI models like Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (nicknamed "Nano Banana") and Vertex AI. This means users in Kenya, Sri Lanka, or Fiji will get faster AI responses because the processing isn’t bouncing all the way to California or Ireland.
"We’re not just connecting islands," said Koley in a private briefing. "We’re creating digital bridges between economies that have been left out of the cloud race. Christmas Island is the perfect example: remote, but strategically central. It’s a silent hero now."
What’s Next? A Network of Networks
Google says Dhivaru is just the first phase of its broader Australia Connect initiative, which also includes the Bosun cable linking Darwin to Christmas Island and onward to Singapore. Rumors suggest a second cable—possibly named Malabar—is already in planning, aiming to connect the Maldives to Sri Lanka and the Seychelles by 2027.
There’s also talk of a "Digital Indian Ocean Alliance," a coalition of governments and tech firms to standardize cable landing rights and cybersecurity protocols. India, Indonesia, and Kenya have already signaled interest. For small island nations, this could mean real leverage: they’re no longer just endpoints—they’re strategic partners.
Why This Changes Everything
AI adoption is outpacing predictions. Google says usage of its generative AI tools grew 300% last year. That demands infrastructure that’s not just fast, but resilient. Dhivaru ensures that even if a cable is severed near the Horn of Africa, traffic flows through Oman. If a storm knocks out the link to Singapore, Christmas Island picks up the slack.
And the economic ripple? Addu City’s port is already seeing new tech startups. Local engineers are being trained to manage the hub. Tourism operators are upgrading to 8K live-streaming. In a country where 40% of GDP comes from tourism, that’s transformative.
Google didn’t just build a cable. It built a new digital geography.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will Dhivaru improve internet speed for everyday users in the Maldives?
Residents in the Maldives will see latency drop from over 500ms on satellite links to under 30ms, thanks to the Addu City hub’s local content caching and direct fiber connections. This means smoother video calls, instant cloud app access, and seamless streaming—even during peak tourist season. Local businesses, especially in tourism and e-commerce, will benefit from faster transaction processing and real-time customer interactions.
Why is Christmas Island such a strategic location for Google’s AI data center?
Christmas Island sits at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Oceania, making it the closest landmass to both the Maldives and Southeast Asia. By placing an AI data center here, Google reduces the physical distance data must travel for users in India, Kenya, and Indonesia. This cuts response times for AI tools like Gemini by up to 40%, improving performance without needing massive data centers in Europe or North America.
What role do local telecom companies like DHIRAAGU and Ooredoo play in this project?
DHIRAAGU and Ooredoo Maldives are critical partners—they own the last-mile fiber networks that connect the Dhivaru landing point to homes and businesses. They’re also co-investing in local training programs and co-hosting services on the new hub. This isn’t a foreign takeover; it’s a collaboration. Their involvement ensures the infrastructure meets local needs and regulatory standards, while giving them access to Google’s global network for future expansion.
How is Google addressing environmental concerns with these new hubs?
Unlike traditional data centers, Google’s connectivity hubs use minimal power—mostly for switching and caching, not AI computation. In the Maldives, Google is partnering with local authorities to power the Addu hub with solar microgrids, reducing diesel dependence. On Christmas Island, the company is exploring offshore wind integration. The goal: make the hubs carbon-neutral by 2030 and use their energy demand to stimulate local renewable projects.
What does this mean for Africa and the Middle East?
The Oman landing point gives African and Middle Eastern users a new, low-latency path to global data. Previously, traffic from Nairobi or Riyadh often routed through Europe or Singapore. Now, it can go directly through the Maldives or Christmas Island, cutting delays by up to 30%. This benefits financial institutions, telemedicine platforms, and educational services across the region, making digital services more reliable and affordable.
Are there risks to this new infrastructure?
Yes. Subsea cables remain vulnerable to ship anchors, fishing gear, and undersea landslides. While Dhivaru’s multi-path design reduces risk, political tensions in the Indian Ocean could also threaten landing rights. Google is working with regional governments on cybersecurity protocols and physical protection plans. But the biggest risk? Over-reliance on a single corporate entity. Critics worry about digital sovereignty—hence the push for public-private partnerships and local ownership.