Sun Sep 28 10:21:37 UTC 2025: ## Mangaluru Poised to Become Global AI Data Center Hub with Undersea Cable Connectivity
**MANGALURU, September 28, 2025** – Karnataka’s coastal city of Mangaluru is set to transform into a major global data center hub, fueled by strategic undersea cable connectivity, according to a vision document released by the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM). The plan, unveiled by Minister for Electronics, Information Technology, Bio-technology Priyank Kharge, aims to position Mangaluru as a “Bengaluru+1” location, offering a resilient backup site for global capability centers (GCCs) and attracting hyperscalers, cloud providers, and AI-driven enterprises.
The KDEM vision document proposes three key undersea cable route options to provide low-latency, high-capacity international bandwidth. These include a Middle East and Europe route bypassing congested Mumbai landing stations, a Southeast Asia extension route serving as a backup for hyperscalers, and a regional loop connecting Chennai and Kochi.
Leveraging its coastal advantage, emerging digital infrastructure, renewable energy ecosystem, and talent base, Mangaluru is envisioned as a giga-scale data center cluster with planned capacity exceeding 1 GW over the next decade. The “Grid-to-Chip” strategy ensures integration of renewable energy sources with advanced cooling and chip-level optimization for AI and cloud workloads.
The development of the Mangaluru data center hub is projected to generate over 25,000 direct and indirect jobs across various sectors, including construction, IT/BT, renewable energy, and ancillary industries. This includes 8,000 jobs in construction and infrastructure sector (civil works, electrical, cooling, logistics); 7,000 jobs in IT/BT and cloud services (data center operations, AI infra management, cloud engineering); 5,000 jobs in operations and maintenance (facilities management, power systems, security); 3,000 jobs in renewable energy and utilities (green power projects, grid integration, cooling solutions); and 2,000 jobs in ancillary and allied industries (transport, food, services, SMEs in the data centre ecosystem).
KDEM’s initiative, operating under its “Beyond Bengaluru” umbrella, highlights Karnataka’s commitment to expanding its digital economy beyond its capital city and fostering innovation and growth in emerging clusters like Mangaluru. The project is expected to significantly boost the region’s economy and solidify its position as a key player in the global technology landscape.
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