Mumbai Hosts Major Asia-Pacific Internet Gathering
Artificial intelligence may be transforming what people do online, but its rapid expansion is also forcing the technology industry to confront a more fundamental question: whether the networks underneath those services are ready for what comes next.
That challenge is bringing more than 600 internet experts, policymakers, network operators and technology leaders to Mumbai for APNIC 62, a week-long conference focused on the infrastructure that keeps digital services connected.
The 62nd APNIC Conference runs from September 4 to 10 and includes technical workshops, policy meetings, conference sessions and community events.
The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) and the Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) are hosting the gathering with support from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Maharashtra government.
The conference is organised by the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, or APNIC, the not-for-profit organisation responsible for managing critical internet number resources across 56 economies in the Asia-Pacific region.
AI Growth Is Becoming a Network Question
Much of the public discussion around AI infrastructure has centred on semiconductors, GPUs and data centres. APNIC 62 is looking at another layer of the same expansion: the networks that connect those computing resources to businesses and users.
AI-powered services generate new demands for connectivity while increasingly complex digital systems require networks that can remain available, secure and scalable.
“AI and other major technical and societal shifts are placing unprecedented demands on the networks that underpin our economies and societies,” APNIC Director General Jia Rong Low said.
The conference is examining AI-powered services alongside network automation, cybersecurity, routing security and internet governance.
Those subjects are closely connected. Expanding capacity alone is not enough if traffic cannot be routed securely or if greater automation creates new vulnerabilities. At the same time, increasingly interconnected services make disruptions capable of affecting more users and businesses.
That is why resilience has become as important to the discussion as raw network growth.
India Sees Resilient Internet Infrastructure as a Priority
For India, the debate comes as more of the economy depends on reliable digital connectivity.
“As India’s digital ecosystem continues to expand, ensuring secure, resilient and future-ready Internet infrastructure remains a key priority,” MeitY Joint Secretary Sushil Pal said.
Pal described APNIC 62 as an opportunity for India to work more closely with the Asia-Pacific technical community and exchange expertise around an open and trusted internet.
Senior officials expected at the conference include MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan and Maharashtra Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal.
India's position in the regional discussion is also strengthened by its progress in IPv6 adoption. IPv6 provides a vastly larger pool of internet addresses than the older IPv4 protocol, an increasingly important capability as the number of connected devices and services continues to expand.
Low pointed to India's IPv6 experience as an example of what can happen when technical expertise, investment and industry cooperation move together.
IPv6 and Routing Security Move From Discussion to Action
The Mumbai gathering is also expected to produce a concrete infrastructure agreement.
NIXI and APNIC are scheduled to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on September 8 aimed at expanding the deployment of IPv6 and strengthening routing security in India.
The agreement is intended to support the security, resilience and long-term development of the country's internet infrastructure.
Routing security is particularly important because the internet depends on networks correctly exchanging information about where data should travel. Errors or malicious manipulation of those routes can redirect or disrupt traffic.
As India's digital economy expands, strengthening those systems becomes less of a specialist concern and more of an economic requirement.
Banks, government platforms, cloud services, streaming applications, e-commerce companies and AI services all ultimately depend on the same underlying ability to move data reliably between networks.
Network Operators Face Rising Expectations
India's internet service providers sit directly in the middle of that transition.
ISPAI President Rajesh Chharia said operators are already on the frontline of growing demand for connectivity that is not only faster, but also reliable and secure.
APNIC 62 gives operators across the Asia-Pacific region an opportunity to compare practical experience and prepare their networks for changing traffic and security requirements.
NIXI CEO Devesh Tyagi similarly framed the conference as a chance for India to share its experience while learning from technical experts elsewhere in the region.
The emphasis on cooperation reflects the structure of the internet itself. No single company or country operates the entire system. Networks run by different organisations have to exchange traffic and technical information continuously, making common standards and coordination central to reliability.
Cybersecurity Becomes Part of the Infrastructure Debate
AI is only one reason network resilience has moved higher on the agenda.
Cybersecurity is another.
The opening programme includes a keynote from JPCERT/CC's Yukako Uchida on trust and cooperation in cybersecurity. Lightstorm Group CEO and Managing Director Amajit Gupta is scheduled to address AI-driven network automation.
Bringing those subjects together reflects how network management is changing. Automation can help operators manage increasingly complex infrastructure, but more automated systems also need strong safeguards and trusted technical practices.
The challenge is therefore not simply to build larger networks. Operators have to make them more efficient without creating weaknesses that could undermine reliability.
Why APNIC Matters to the Internet
APNIC operates largely outside public view, but the resources it manages are fundamental to how the internet functions.
Every online service depends on networks being able to identify and communicate with one another. APNIC manages internet addresses and related network identifiers across the Asia-Pacific region, helping thousands of organisations participate in a common, interoperable system.
Its role is technical rather than regulatory or political.
That makes gatherings such as APNIC 62 less about consumer technology announcements and more about the engineering decisions and cooperation required to keep the internet functioning as demand increases.
AI gives that work new urgency.
The rapid expansion of AI services is often described through models, chips and data centres. But every AI service delivered to a phone, business or government platform also relies on networks capable of moving enormous quantities of information securely and consistently.
The discussions in Mumbai are focused on that less visible part of the AI boom: making sure the infrastructure connecting everything together can keep pace.
