The United States and India have announced a new partnership to strengthen the security, resilience, and diversification of global undersea cable networks. According to reports from the US Embassy in India, the two nations brought together government and industry experts in September to host an 'Undersea Cables Workshop' aimed at safeguarding critical subsea communication infrastructure. The partnership comes under the US-India TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technologies) Initiative framework, which was launched during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington. As reported by news agency ANI, the initiative is expected to bolster India's role as a digital hub and a key security partner in the region, with the collaboration specifically targeting making India a key global hub for secure, resilient digital infrastructure. As reported by the US Embassy, the partnership emphasizes that undersea cables are the backbone of global digital connectivity, powering economies, cloud services, and the AI revolution, with the United States and India partnering to strengthen the security, resilience, and diversification of networks that keep the world connected.
As reported by the US Embassy, undersea cables serve as the backbone of global digital connectivity, powering economies, cloud services, and the AI revolution. The Embassy emphasized that subsea cable networks form the structural foundation for global digital commerce, data centres, cloud platforms, and the rapidly growing artificial intelligence economy. US government documents have described undersea cables as carrying more than 95 per cent of global digital traffic, supporting everything from cloud services and financial systems to telecommunications and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Secure and resilient cables remain vital to keeping international economies interconnected, with India's strategic geographical location linking major global markets presenting significant opportunities for establishing itself as a primary global subsea cable hub. The partnership will focus on developing more secure and resilient subsea cable systems using trusted technology providers to reduce vulnerabilities from potential sabotage, cyberattacks, interception and dependence on a limited number of suppliers or routes.
The partnership operates under the US-India TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technologies) Initiative framework, which was launched during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington. According to US Ambassador Sergio Gor, the initiative helps deepen cooperation in critical and emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, and energy. The partnership now expands the US-India TRUST initiative into subsea connectivity, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of technology collaboration between the two nations. Gor noted that the US is focusing on partnerships with countries it considers trusted collaborators in emerging technologies, with India being one of those partners. He highlighted India's inclusion in the Pax Silica initiative, a trusted technology and supply-chain network led by the United States, stating that 'India was in the first top 10 countries around the world to join this is that we trust this place. We trust the people here, we trust the technology, we trust your government.' He added that India is joining 'a network of trusted ecosystems and resilient supply chains' covering technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum computing. The initiative also fits into wider US-India efforts to build trusted and resilient digital infrastructure, with previous working group statements highlighting cooperation on trusted undersea cables and satellite systems.
As reported by the US Embassy, the leaders committed to work with US and Indian private industry to develop a US-India Roadmap on Accelerating AI Infrastructure by the end of the year. The initiative will identify constraints to financing, building, powering, and connecting large-scale US-origin AI infrastructure in India, with milestones and future actions. The partnership will enable industry partnerships and investments in next-generation data centres, cooperation on development and access to compute and processors for AI, and innovations in AI models and building AI applications for solving societal challenges. The statement noted that the US and India would work together to enable industry partnerships and investments in next-generation data centres, cooperation on development and access to compute and processors for AI, for innovations in AI models and building AI applications for solving societal challenges while addressing the protections and controls necessary to protect these technologies and reduce regulatory barriers. The collaboration also comes as India and the US deepen cooperation on trusted technology supply chains and emerging technologies, including 6G and AI.
The partnership is expected to promote greater redundancy in cable infrastructure by supporting multiple cable landing stations and diverse routes across the Indo-Pacific. Such diversification can help limit the impact of disruptions to individual cables or key transit points, strengthening the security of global digital infrastructure. For India, the move could further strengthen its position as an important digital connectivity hub between Asia and other parts of the world, while giving both countries a framework to address growing security risks surrounding the infrastructure that underpins the global internet. The collaboration also comes as India and the US deepen cooperation on trusted technology supply chains and emerging technologies, with the US separately stressing the need for secure, verifiable suppliers and greater route diversity for undersea cable projects. The partnership is intended to complement broader cooperation between the two countries in areas such as artificial intelligence, telecommunications, data centres and next-generation connectivity.
