Nov 06, 2024 08:00:00

Meta may be planning to lay a new undersea cable around the world

Subsea Cables & Internet Infrastructure , a blog that focuses on undersea cable projects, has claimed that Meta is planning to lay a new undersea cable that will circumnavigate the globe, which is believed to be involved in building new AI data centers.

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Subsea Cables & Internet Infrastructure, citing several sources, says Meta plans to build a new undersea cable that would circumnavigate the globe, from the US East Coast through the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans before returning to the US West Coast.

The cable, believed to have 32 cores (16 fiber pairs), is being called 'the most ambitious undersea cable project ever undertaken' by Subsea Cables & Internet Infrastructure.

The exact route the cable will take is unclear, but it is thought to run from the east coast of the United States across the Pacific Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, then across the Indian Ocean to the west coast of India, then along the north coast of Australia, then out into the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of the United States.

It's unclear whether Europe will come online, but Subsea Cables & Internet Infrastructure speculates that a branch along the way could link to the east coast of Africa, as well as branch units to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Submarine cables are important for the internet around the world, but in February 2024,

an undersea cable in the Red Sea was cut, which took several months to repair . The background to this undersea cable project is Meta's aim to increase the resilience of the network.

In addition, laying an undersea cable from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea would require the cost of landing the cable in Egypt, but Meta's planned route around Africa to India would allow the cable to be laid without passing through Egypt.

Meta's undersea cable project could be significantly affected by the construction of new AI data centers. Subsea Cables & Internet Infrastructure said, 'AI data centers require a lot of space and power. The United States, South Africa, India and Australia are leading candidates for AI data centers in terms of space. All countries except South Africa have modern power grids. However, South Africa remains the best location on the African continent to build large-scale AI facilities.'