Reuters reports that Google is planning to build a large AI data center on Christmas Island, a 52-square-mile Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, following a cloud computing deal with Australia’s military. The project is described as largely undisclosed and would place advanced AI infrastructure just over 200 miles south of Indonesia.
The facility is expected to sit at a location analysts consider strategic for monitoring Chinese naval activity in the Indo-Pacific, potentially enabling AI-enabled surveillance and command-and-control capabilities. The island’s remote positioning, paired with existing regional military rotations, has drawn interest from defense strategists.
In addition to data center plans, Google has sought environmental approvals to lay a subsea cable connecting the 135-square-kilometer island to Darwin, where U.S. Marines rotate for six months each year. Officials from Google and Australia’s Department of Defense declined to comment on the specifics of the project.
The project follows a multi-year cloud agreement signed with Australia’s military in 2025. Reuters notes many details—such as size, cost, and precise capabilities—remain secret, leaving room for speculation about the facility’s ultimate role in regional security architecture.
Beyond geopolitics, Christmas Island is famous for its annual red crab migration, with millions of crabs traversing the terrain to spawn in the sea. Environmental authorities have signaled they will weigh ecological concerns against the potential economic and strategic benefits of the AI infrastructure, a balance that could shape local sentiment about the project.
