Meta is embarking on a significant subsea cable project estimated to cost around $10 billion, designed to enhance global connectivity from the East Coast of the U.S. to India via South Africa, and then back to the West Coast through Australia. This ambitious initiative, which could take between five to ten years to complete, aims to bolster Meta's infrastructure for its family of apps.
Unlike the previously collaborative '2Africa' project, this new cable will be exclusively dedicated to Meta's traffic, providing a more reliable service tailored to the increasing demands of users. With Meta accounting for 10% of all fixed internet traffic and 22% of mobile traffic globally, this investment underscores the necessity for robust infrastructure.
The cable's strategic route is expected to enhance connectivity in India, with a focus on supporting advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). Experts suggest that India's lower costs for compute bandwidth position it to become a leading hub for AI development, potentially transforming it into the 'training capital of the world.'
Additionally, the cable's path avoids geopolitical hotspots like the Red Sea and South China Sea, mitigating risks associated with previous subsea cable sabotage incidents. Meta is anticipated to provide further details about this groundbreaking project in early 2025.