aapsky - stock.adobe.com
Subsea cable worth $1bn to link Japan with Malaysia and Singapore
The Intra-Asia Marine Cable will deliver 320Tbps capacity across the region, complementing subsea cable investments by hyperscalers such as Google and Meta in recent years
A $1bn submarine cable system is set to be deployed between Japan and Southeast Asia in a bid to bolster connectivity resilience and support the growing demands of the region’s growing digital economy.
The Intra-Asia Marine Cable (I-AM Cable) will connect landing stations in the Japanese prefectures of Chiba, Mie and Fukuoka directly to Singapore and Malaysia.
The 8,100km cable system will also deliver additional connectivity options for Taiwan, the Philippines and South Korea, creating a high-capacity backbone for the region.
Designed to handle the massive throughput required by global hyperscalers and cloud providers, the cable will use Space Division Multiplexing technology, which can accommodate up to 16 fibre pairs, double that of many older systems, enabling a total capacity of approximately 320 terabits per second (Tbps).
By using Wavelength Selective Switch functionality, the wavelength bandwidth of each route can also be remotely adjusted, enabling flexible responses to evolving business needs and traffic demands.
The project is being spearheaded by a newly formed joint venture, Intra-Asia Marine Networks (I-AM NW), comprising Japanese technology services giant NTT Data, trading house Sumitomo Corporation and JA Mitsui Leasing.
The consortium said the project will reinforce Japan’s role as a crucial data hub, connecting the wider Asia-Pacific (APAC) region with the US, noting that submarine cables now account for approximately 99% of all international data transfers.
Read more about subsea cables in APAC
- Subsea network between Indonesia and Singapore deploys high-speed optical transmission technology to enhance regional datacentre interconnectivity while expanding broadband access to over 40 million people.
- Singtel and China Telecom Global lead a consortium to build a $300m submarine cable system that will connect Hong Kong and Singapore with the Philippines, Brunei, and Hainan in China.
- The Indigo submarine cable will provide additional capacity to mitigate disruptions caused by fibre cuts, as well as meet the growing demand for internet services in the region.
- Largest trans-Pacific submarine cable system boosts network capacity to support delivery of ubiquitous high-capacity 800Gb, 400Gb and 100Gb services, claiming to hit service delivery targets as soon as it launches.
I-AM NW will manage the entire lifecycle of the project, from planning and construction to the sales of communication circuits to telecom operators and tech companies.
“The launch of I-AM NW marks a significant step in strengthening Asia’s digital infrastructure,” said Yoshio Sato, CEO at I-AM NW. “This project reflects our commitment to delivering reliable, flexible connectivity solutions that empower businesses and drive digital transformation across the Asia-Pacific region.”
The APAC region has become a primary theatre for the global subsea cable boom, driven by the explosive growth of datacentres in Johor, Malaysia, and the continued dominance of Singapore as a regional financial hub.
Historically, traffic between Japan and Southeast Asia has relied on ageing cables that traverse the highly congested South China Sea. In recent years, major tech giants including Google and Meta have invested heavily in submarine cable systems such as the Apricot, Echo and Bifrost systems to diversify routes and reduce latency.
In particular, the 15,000km Bifrost cable connects Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam and the west coast of North America through the Java Sea and Celebes Sea. With a future connection to Mexico planned for 2026, it provides more than 260 Tbps of capacity along a diverse route across the Pacific. It was built together with Singaporean conglomerate Keppel and Telin, an Indonesian datacentre and carrier services provider.
Subsea cable networks are critical for the performance of cloud computing services, artificial intelligence and the digital experiences of billions of users. According to a study by Analysys Mason, Google’s network infrastructure investments in Asia-Pacific between 2010 and 2019 were linked to an additional $430bn in aggregate GDP and 1.1 million jobs in the region.
