The administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has withdrawn its call for proposals from the private sector to set up a “green” artificial intelligence data centre.

The invitation for expression of interest “stands withdrawn with immediate effect due to administrative reasons”, said a notice issued on August 14 by the officer on special duty for information technology.

On August 10, the island administration called for expressions of interest from private sector entities to explore the feasibility of developing a “Green AI/Data Centre Vertical” in the Great Nicobar or Little Andaman regions.

The administration had said that the proposed data centre could include graphics processing units and high-performance computing infrastructure. Its operations could be powered by renewable energy, and it may have seawater-based or other cooling systems and freshwater-free cooling solutions, among other operations.

The call for proposals had come even as local tribal communities and experts have expressed concerns about a proposed Rs 91,000-crore infrastructure project on the Great Nicobar Island. The local administration has been holding meetings with tribal communities to finalise the draft master plan for the project.

The sea areas earmarked for the data centre project were along bays that had been marked for a wildlife corridor, agriculture and biodiversity tourism, coastal and business tourism activities, residential areas and administrative buildings in the draft master plan, The Hindu reported.

These included areas such as Gandhi Nagar Bay, Anderson Bay, Vijay Nagar Bay and Campbell Bay.

Great Nicobar project

The Great Nicobar Project includes the construction of new townships, a power plant, a greenfield international airport and a transshipment port.

It is expected to use 166 sq km of the Great Nicobar island, which is part of the Nicobar Islands. The island falls within the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot, spanning the western half of the Indonesian archipelago.

Concerns have been raised about the impact of large infrastructure projects on the Shompen, a vulnerable tribal group, and the Nicobarese community. The project has also faced criticism for its potential impact on the island’s biodiversity, rainforests and endemic species.

A batch of petitions challenging key approvals to the project is pending before a circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court at Port Blair.

Written by Neerad Pandharipande. Edited by Sneha.

Also read:

We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in.