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Google Plans Data Center on Christmas Island to Boost Renewable Energy Initiatives

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Google’s Christmas Island Renewable Data Center | Business Honor

Business Honor
19 November, 2025

The new data facility aims to improve local infrastructure and promote sustainable energy solutions for residents.

According to Google, Christmas Island, Australia's distant outpost in the Indian Ocean has sufficient power to accommodate a new Google data center without affecting the local population, but it may prompt a shift toward renewable energy. On Monday, Alphabet's Google revealed plans for the tiny island located 350 km (220 miles) south of Indonesia, confirming a Reuter’s story published earlier. Christmas Island Phosphate, which employs half of the island's population of 1,600, uses diesel to power a generator that services its mine and meets the needs of the Australian defence force. "The power grid can comfortably support Google’s purposes and our purposes" according to the report.

Capacity would be stretched, though, if the island's detention center for asylum seekers or a closed resort were to open again, adding that Google's arrival strengthens the argument to switch to renewable energy, which would be less expensive than importing diesel. Australia's infrastructure department is in talks with Google to be able to meet its energy demands without affecting supply to Christmas Island residents and businesses. Another two-planned Google subsea cables extending east from Christmas Island will come ashore near important Australian military bases, Reuters previously reported.

Military experts argue that a facility on the island would be helpful for using AI drones to monitor Chinese submarines. Google said that the data hub on the island would be smaller than “some” of its other data centers but would share its digital infrastructure with local users. "The energy needed for a connectivity hub can still be significant to some smaller places, and where it is, Google is looking to use its energy demand to spur local investments in sustainable energy generation," the statement said.