This $1 Billion Undersea Cable Will Transform How Asia Connects to the Internet
Japanese Giants Launch Mega-Project That Could Change Everything for Cloud and AI Services Across the Region
Three major Japanese corporations just announced a game-changing infrastructure project that will reshape digital connectivity across Asia. NTT DATA Group Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, and JA Mitsui Leasing have established Intra-Asia Marine Networks Co., Ltd. (I-AM NW) to construct and operate a submarine communication cable connecting Japan with other parts of Asia. This massive undertaking addresses the exploding demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence services, and data center capacity throughout the region.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Submarine cables account for approximately 99% of all international data transfers, making them the invisible backbone of our digital economy. Every video call, cloud backup, and AI model training session depends on these underwater highways. The new I-AM Cable promises to deliver unprecedented capacity and resilience just as Asia’s digital transformation accelerates.
What Makes the I-AM Cable Different
The Intra-Asia Marine Cable (I-AM Cable) is a subsea system linking Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore, with planned connectivity to South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan. The project spans approximately 8,100 kilometers of ocean floor and carries an estimated price tag of $1 billion.
The technical specifications are impressive. The system will have an initial design capacity of approximately 320 terabits per second. To put that in perspective, that’s enough bandwidth to stream millions of 4K videos simultaneously or support massive AI training operations across multiple countries.
What sets this cable apart is its advanced technology stack. It will use space division multiplexing technology, allowing up to 16 fiber pairs per cable, and wavelength selective switch functionality to enable remote adjustment of wavelength bandwidth on individual routes. Translation? Operators can dynamically allocate bandwidth where it’s needed most, responding instantly to traffic surges without physical infrastructure changes.
Why Japan Serves as the Perfect Hub
Geography matters in submarine cable planning. Positioned between Asia and the United States, Japan serves as a crucial data hub connecting the Asia-Pacific region with the rest of the world. This strategic location makes Japan indispensable for routing international traffic efficiently.
The I-AM Cable will land at three locations in Japan (Chiba, Mie, and Fukuoka), providing multiple routes to Southeast Asia. This multi-landing point strategy isn’t just about capacity—it’s about survival. When natural disasters strike or cables break, having alternate routes means services stay online.
Fukuoka deserves special attention. The western Japanese city is being positioned as an international telecommunications hub, coordinating with new data center developments. This creates a powerful ecosystem where connectivity and computing power converge.
Building Resilience Against Natural Disasters
Asia faces unique challenges from earthquakes, typhoons, and undersea disturbances. The partners said the use of several landing points is intended to improve network resilience, including against natural disasters. When one cable route faces problems, traffic automatically reroutes through alternate paths.
The companies emphasize that this redundancy isn’t optional—it’s essential. Previous cable breaks have caused significant disruptions to internet services across entire regions. The I-AM Cable’s multiple landing points create a safety net that keeps data flowing even during emergencies.
The Business Case Behind the Build
Why are three major corporations investing $1 billion in underwater cables? The answer lies in explosive demand. Demand for new capacity is being driven by the growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and data center development across Asia.
Each partner brings crucial expertise to the table. NTT DATA contributes deep experience in digital infrastructure and global network services. Sumitomo Corporation participates through an intermediate entity jointly established with SMFL Mirai Partners Co., Ltd., leveraging its investment and trading network. JA Mitsui Leasing provides financing expertise and previous submarine cable investment experience, including the JUNO system connecting Japan and the U.S. West Coast.
I-AM NW will handle the entire project lifecycle—from planning through construction to selling communication circuits. The company will serve global technology firms and telecommunications operators, ensuring that capacity gets allocated to those who need it most.
Meeting the Timeline Challenge
The cable is scheduled to enter service in early fiscal year 2029. That gives the consortium approximately three years to design, manufacture, lay, and test thousands of kilometers of undersea cable.
Submarine cable projects face notorious complexity. Permitting requirements vary by country. Marine surveys must identify suitable routes. Cable-laying ships need scheduling. Weather windows must align. Despite these challenges, the 2029 target date reflects industry confidence in established deployment processes.
How This Fits into Asia’s Infrastructure Boom
The I-AM Cable doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s part of a broader buildout of digital infrastructure across Asia. According to industry reports, NTT DATA positions this new route as complementing its existing MIST cable, which links Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and India.
Recent months have seen multiple submarine cable announcements. Google unveiled TalayLink in November 2025, connecting Australia and Thailand. The tech giant also announced Dhivaru, a Trans-Indian Ocean system linking the Maldives, Christmas Island, and Oman. These projects collectively signal massive investment in the region’s digital backbone.
Singapore continues attracting cable landing activity due to its role as a regional connectivity and interconnection hub. The city-state serves as a natural meeting point for cables crossing Asia, making it indispensable to regional network architecture.
The Technology Companies and Telecom Operators Connection
Who will actually use the I-AM Cable? Intra-Asia Marine Networks will oversee the project from planning through to the sale of communication circuits. It will manage the commercialization of capacity for customers that include telecom operators and large technology companies.
Major cloud providers operate massive data center footprints across Asia. They need guaranteed, high-capacity connectivity to sync data between regions and serve customers with low latency. Traditional telecom operators also require additional capacity to meet consumer and business demand for bandwidth-intensive services.
The flexibility of wavelength selective switch technology means different customers can receive customized capacity allocations. A cloud provider might purchase dedicated wavelengths for specific routes, while a telecom operator might opt for shared capacity with guaranteed minimums.
What This Means for Asia’s Digital Economy
The economic implications extend far beyond telecommunications. Reliable, high-capacity connectivity enables businesses to operate across borders seamlessly. Developers can deploy cloud services with confidence. Enterprises can backup critical data to overseas locations without bandwidth constraints.
Artificial intelligence development particularly benefits from robust connectivity. Training large language models requires moving massive datasets between computing clusters. Serving AI applications demands low-latency connections to end users. The I-AM Cable’s 320 terabits per second capacity provides headroom for AI workloads that haven’t even been imagined yet.
Regional competition for data center investment intensifies as connectivity improves. Countries with multiple cable landing points and diverse routes attract more facilities. This creates a virtuous cycle where connectivity begets data centers, which attract technology companies, which drive demand for more connectivity.
Strengthening Digital Sovereignty
Yoshio Sato, CEO at I-AM NW, captured the project’s significance: “The launch of I-AM NW marks a significant step in strengthening Asia’s digital infrastructure”. His comments reflect growing awareness that digital infrastructure represents national strategic assets.
Countries increasingly view submarine cables through a security and sovereignty lens. Diverse cable routes reduce dependence on any single system or operator. Multiple landing points create options when geopolitical tensions affect specific paths.
The I-AM Cable’s avoidance of certain congested and geopolitically sensitive waters reflects this new reality. According to recent analysis, the proposed route keeps the cable clear of areas that have seen increased regulatory scrutiny, aligning with trends among subsea cable developers seeking to balance security concerns with economic demands for robust connectivity.
Technical Innovation Under the Waves
The engineering behind modern submarine cables deserves appreciation. The cable will leverage space division multiplexing (SDM) technology, enabling it to accommodate up to 16 fibre pairs per cable for a total initial capacity of around 320 Tbps.
Space division multiplexing represents a major advancement over previous generations. Instead of squeezing more data through single fiber pairs, SDM uses multiple fiber pairs in parallel. This approach scales capacity dramatically while maintaining signal quality over long distances.
The wavelength selective switch capability adds another dimension of flexibility. Network operators can remotely adjust how bandwidth gets allocated across different routes without physical intervention. When traffic patterns shift—say, during a major sporting event or product launch—capacity can move to where it’s needed most.
Modern submarine cables also incorporate sophisticated monitoring systems. Operators track temperature, strain, and signal quality in real-time. When problems emerge, diagnostic systems pinpoint locations with remarkable precision, enabling rapid repairs.
The Cable Laying Process
Installing 8,100 kilometers of submarine cable involves specialized vessels, careful planning, and occasional improvisation. Survey ships first map the ocean floor, identifying the optimal route that balances distance, seabed conditions, and potential hazards.
Cable-laying ships then deploy the cable in segments. In shallow waters near landing points, cables get buried in trenches for protection against anchors and fishing activities. In deep water, cables rest directly on the seabed, protected primarily by their armored construction.
Repeaters get installed at regular intervals to amplify signals that naturally degrade over long distances. These underwater electronic stations require incredibly reliable components since repairs involve ship operations that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per day.
The Consortium’s Combined Strength
Partnership structure matters in projects of this scale. The three founding companies bring complementary capabilities that reduce risk and improve execution.
NTT DATA’s global network operations experience ensures technical soundness. The company understands what operators need and how to design systems that meet real-world requirements. Their existing relationships with technology companies and carriers provide built-in demand for capacity.
Sumitomo Corporation’s trading and investment expertise helps navigate the commercial complexities. Submarine cable projects involve procurement from multiple vendors, negotiations with landing point operators, and coordination across jurisdictions. Sumitomo’s network opens doors and smooths processes.
JA Mitsui Leasing’s financing capabilities prove crucial. Spreading a $1 billion investment over multiple years requires sophisticated financial structuring. Their previous submarine cable investments, including the JUNO system, provide relevant experience and confidence in the asset class.
Looking Ahead to 2029 and Beyond
The 2029 service launch date represents a beginning, not an ending. Submarine cables typically operate for 25 years or longer with proper maintenance. The I-AM Cable will serve multiple generations of technology advancement, from applications we use today to those not yet invented.
Initial capacity of 320 terabits per second might sound enormous, but history suggests it will eventually face constraints. Internet traffic grows exponentially. Each new use case—whether AI, virtual reality, or technologies we haven’t conceived—consumes more bandwidth. The wavelength selective switch technology provides upgrade paths without replacing physical cables.
The cable’s multiple landing points create opportunities for future branches. As demand grows in specific locations, operators can add spur connections without affecting the main trunk. This flexibility extends the system’s useful life and improves return on investment.
Regional Implications for Technology Development
Reliable infrastructure enables innovation that would otherwise remain impractical. Startups in Southeast Asia can build applications that seamlessly connect users across Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Enterprises can implement disaster recovery strategies that span countries without worrying about bandwidth constraints.
Research institutions benefit from the ability to collaborate across borders. Large scientific datasets can move between universities and research centers efficiently. Cloud-based research tools become accessible to scientists regardless of physical location.
Education similarly transforms with robust connectivity. Universities can offer real-time virtual classrooms connecting students across Asia. Educational content streams without buffering. Collaborative projects work smoothly despite geographic separation.
What Businesses Should Know
Organizations planning digital transformation strategies should account for infrastructure improvements like the I-AM Cable. Capacity constraints that limit certain architectures today may disappear by 2029.
Companies considering data center locations should evaluate markets with multiple cable landing points. The redundancy and capacity provide competitive advantages for latency-sensitive applications. Proximity to diverse connectivity options reduces risk and improves performance.
Technology vendors targeting Asian markets should plan for increased bandwidth availability. Applications that seem impractical today due to connectivity limitations might become viable by 2029. Building products with future infrastructure capabilities in mind positions companies to capture emerging opportunities.
Conclusion
The I-AM Cable represents more than just another piece of infrastructure. It symbolizes Asia’s continued digital ascension and the recognition that robust connectivity underpins economic competitiveness in the modern world.
I-AM NW will manage the entire process from planning to sales of communication circuits for this submarine cable, providing high-quality communication services to global tech giants and telecom operators and contributing to the development of communication infrastructure across Asia.
The $1 billion investment reflects confidence in Asia’s digital future. By 2029, when the I-AM Cable enters service, it will connect millions of users, enable thousands of businesses, and support countless innovations we can only imagine today. The undersea cables we rarely think about make possible the digital experiences we can’t live without.
For more details on this project, visit Telecom Review Asia’s coverage.
FAQ: Understanding the I-AM Cable Project
Q: What is the I-AM Cable and why does it matter for Asia’s internet connectivity?
The I-AM Cable is an 8,100-kilometer submarine communications cable connecting Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore, with extensions to South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan. It matters because submarine cables carry 99% of international data traffic, and this new system will provide 320 terabits per second of capacity to support growing demand for cloud services, AI applications, and data centers across Asia. The cable’s multiple landing points also improve network resilience against natural disasters and outages.
Q: When will the I-AM Cable be operational and how much is it costing?
The I-AM Cable project costs approximately $1 billion and is scheduled to enter service in early fiscal year 2029. The three-year timeline allows for design, manufacturing, marine surveys, installation, and testing of the entire system. The consortium partners—NTT DATA, Sumitomo Corporation, and JA Mitsui Leasing—established Intra-Asia Marine Networks Co., Ltd. (I-AM NW) to oversee the complete project lifecycle from planning through commercial operation.
Q: How does the I-AM Cable’s technology differ from existing submarine cables?
The I-AM Cable uses advanced space division multiplexing (SDM) technology supporting up to 16 fiber pairs per cable, delivering significantly higher capacity than older systems. It also features wavelength selective switch (WSS) functionality that allows operators to remotely adjust bandwidth allocation on individual routes without physical changes. This flexibility enables dynamic response to changing traffic demands and makes the system future-proof as internet usage continues growing exponentially.
Q: Which companies will use the I-AM Cable for their services?
The I-AM Cable will serve global technology companies, cloud service providers, and telecommunications operators across Asia. Major cloud providers operating data centers throughout the region will purchase capacity for inter-region connectivity and low-latency service delivery. Telecom operators will use the cable to meet growing consumer and business bandwidth demands. Intra-Asia Marine Networks will manage capacity sales and ensure high-quality communication services for all customers.
