Google has announced plans for four "connectivity hubs" in Africa during the company's Cloud Summit in Africa.As part of the company's "Building for Africa" effort, Google is establishing what it calls Digital Exchange Ports on the continent, the first of which will be located in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.According to the company, these will "anchor the country as a strategic international switching point, directly connecting the continent to Australia via the Umoja subsea cable, as well as a new subsea route to India, to support African internet connectivity."Google said that the Digital Exchange Points will strengthen resilience and ensure reliable cloud services across the continent.Currently, the majority of subsea cables connecting South Africa land in and around Cape Town, on the west coast of the country. The exception is the 2Africa cable, which has a landing point in Gqeberha, the Eastern Cape.Google has invested in some 30 subsea cables in the past 15 years, more than any other hyperscaler, both privately and as part of multi-party consortia. The search giant is developing multiple cable landing stations and is also establishing “connectivity hubs” in the Maldives and Christmas Island for a cable connecting the Middle East and Oceania.Further details were not provided about the upcoming Africa exchange points. DCD has contacted Google for further details.The initiative builds on Google's $1 billion investment in supporting Africa's digital transformation, as revealed in 2021.The following year, Google revealed it was planning a cloud region in South Africa, marking the cloud and search giant's first on the continent. The South Africa region later launched in 2024, based in Johannesburg data centers.James Manyika, Google’s senior vice president for Research, Labs, Technology & Society, said: "The AI opportunity for Africa is significant, and Google is committed to doing our part working with Africans to help Africa realize it."Building on our past commitments, we’re making new investments in critical areas: infrastructure, African-led innovation, and education and skill building. From a new Digital Exchange Port in the Eastern Cape to Africa’s first Applied AI lab, we’re harnessing technical progress and building partnerships to amplify and scale Africa’s incredible vibrancy, hustle, and innovation for the world."Beyond the Digital Exchange Ports, Google has said it will establish an applied AI lab in Ghana, partner with The Akuna Group for AI education, and soon open applications for the 2026 South African cohort of its Google for Startups Accelerator.