Google plans to construct a new undersea cable that will cross French Polynesia to link Chile and Australia.
Named “Humboldt” in honour of the German polymath and explorer Alexander von Humboldt, this new cable represents Google’s latest investment in subsea infrastructure.
Over the past 15 years, Google has been involved in more than a dozen similar projects, starting in 2010 with the “Unity” cable that spanned approximately 6,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean, connecting California to Japan.
Although Google has not stated when Humboldt will be finished, the internet giant is working with Office des postes et télécommunications de Polynésie française and Desarrollo País in Chile to lay the 9,200-mile (14,800-kilometer) cable.
Humboldt is intended to enhance global data flows in conjunction with Google’s other infrastructure initiatives, such as regional data centers situated in Chile.
Along with Google, the tech giants Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have all made investments in various internet infrastructure initiatives. Together, they are estimated to own or lease around half of all subsea cabling capacity.
