On Wednesday, Reuters reported 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 previously undisclosed project will reportedly position advanced AI infrastructure a mere 220 miles south of Indonesia at a location military strategists consider critical for monitoring Chinese naval activity.
Aside from its strategic military position, the island is famous for its massive annual crab migration, where over 100 million of red crabs make their way across the island to spawn in the ocean. That’s notable because the tech giant has applied for environmental approvals to build a subsea cable connecting the 135-square-kilometer island to Darwin, where US Marines are stationed for six months each year.
The project follows a three-year cloud agreement Google signed with Australia’s military in July 2025, but many details about the new facility’s size, cost, and specific capabilities remain “secret,” according to Reuters. Both Google and Australia’s Department of Defense declined to comment when contacted by the news agency.
Sir David Attenborough examines the great Christmas Island red crab migration.
Bryan Clark, a former US Navy strategist who ran recent war games featuring Christmas Island, told Reuters that the planned facility would enable AI-powered military command and control. Recent military exercises involving Australian, US, and Japanese forces show Christmas Island’s value as a forward defense position for launching uncrewed weapons systems. The island’s location allows the monitoring of traffic through the Sunda, Lombok, and Malacca straits, which are key waterways for global shipping and submarine movements.
Christmas Island has reportedly struggled with poor telecommunications and limited economic opportunities in the past, but some of the island’s 1,600 human residents are cautiously optimistic about the project.