Telstra and Google forge an AI backbone for Australia

• Partners aim to address potential ‘AI network bottlenecks’
• They are taking capacity on each others’ data transport networks
• The move will help ensure Australia remains ‘seamlessly connected to the global economy’

In an effort to ensure that Australia has an international as well as a domestic AI network backbone capable of meeting the increasing demands of AI workloads, Telstra has struck a data transport network partnership with Google that integrates the telco’s terrestrial optical backbone with the hyperscaler’s international submarine network infrastructure. 

The agreement also enhances Google’s role in the Australian digital infrastructure and services market, as it will “enable both companies to deliver faster, more secure connectivity for Australians” by “delivering access to important digital infrastructure that will unlock new economic opportunities and support the modernisation of Australian industries,” the partners have announced. 

Under the agreement, Telstra will access Google’s Pacific Connect and Australia Connect subsea infrastructure initiatives to use fibre pairs on the Tabua, Proa and Bulikula submarine cable systems (all of which are set to come online before the end of this year). These subsea cables will provide Australia with connectivity links to Japan, the Pacific Islands and the US, giving Telstra more “diverse and secure subsea pathways to ensure the nation’s networks are equipped to handle the growing demands of AI applications and workloads,” according to the partners. 

Having invested heavily in its own international infrastructure for the past few decades, Google now operates 36 subsea cable networks around the globe, making it one of the largest data transport network operators in the world. 

Google, meanwhile, will access inter-city dark fibre capacity on Telstra’s countrywide fibre backbone, the Aura Network (formerly known as the Intercity Fibre Network), which hooks up to major datacentre facilities and satellite ground stations across Australia: This “gives more Australian households and businesses the opportunity to connect faster and more securely with the rest of the world”. 

“By integrating terrestrial and subsea routes, Telstra and Google will each remove single points of network failure, helping to ensure continuous, secure data flows,” the partners stated. 

The main aim of the two infrastructure firms is to ensure that the relevant network capacity is available to allow any level of service demand to be provisioned. “As AI applications and workloads continue to grow rapidly, the underlying infrastructure must evolve to securely and reliably support data flows, not only within Australia but also across key international corridors. This partnership addresses that need directly. The connective terrestrial and subsea infrastructure will provide redundant routing paths, minimising the risk of disruptions,” according to the partners.   

Steven Worrall, CEO of Telstra Digital Infrastructure, stated: “This partnership is about enhancing our national capability and ensuring that Australia remains seamlessly connected to the global economy. The Aura Network is the backbone of Australia’s digital future; connectivity is its lifeblood. With more than 8,000 kilometres already laid across the country and the launch of the Melbourne-Canberra-Sydney coastal routes late last year, the Aura rollout is gathering significant momentum. By also securing fibre pairs along high-demand global routes, Telstra is building resilient, secure and scalable infrastructure that will power the next industrial revolution in a way that supports sustainable, disciplined growth in the long term. This partnership with Google reflects our shared commitment to Australia and the Pacific at a critical moment, as AI and data-intensive technologies reshape economies.”

Bikash Koley, VP of global infrastructure at Google, stated: “Building digital infrastructure capable of supporting the next wave of AI innovation requires deep collaboration and robust physical networks. This partnership brings together Google’s global subsea capabilities and network innovations and Telstra’s terrestrial reach to ensure Australians have the secure, high-capacity and resilient digital services they require to compete globally.”

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV