Overview
- Google is in advanced talks to lease land near the island’s airport and to secure power through a local mining company, according to shire officials and council records.
- The project follows a three-year cloud agreement with Australia’s Department of Defence signed in July, reflecting closer ties between commercial cloud infrastructure and defence needs.
- Military planners and experts describe the island as a forward node for monitoring regional naval activity and for AI-enabled command-and-control of uncrewed systems.
- Local leaders are reviewing community impacts before any final approval, with residents divided between hopes for jobs and concerns about increased defence activity and tourism effects.
- Google and Australia’s Defence Department declined to comment, and Alphabet shares closed up 2.44% on Wednesday following the reports.