Google just spent $1 billion on two cables linking Japan and Hawaii

Google has slapped down $1 billion to construct two new cables designed to link the US and Japan. These cables are called Proa and Taihei.

3

According to the announcement, the new cables will be subsea and will be built by Japanese tech giant NEC Corp. More specifically, the company has planned to route Japan, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and then Guam, with reports indicating that Google is already working on the Taiwan-Philippines-US (TPU) cable system, which will also be getting an extension to CNMI. Current plans for the TPU system are in the name - connect Taiwan, the Philippines, and the United States, with estimates putting its completion sometime in 2025.

As for Taihei, this cable system will be a direct connection between Hawaii and Japan. Moreover, Google has planned an extension of its Tabua cable system to Hawaii on its way to from the US to Fiji and Australia. The Tabua cable is being built by SubCom. Google has also said it will be constructing an interlink cable between Hawaii, the CNMI and Guam to "connect the transpacific routes, improving their reliability and reducing latency for users in the Pacific Islands and around the world."

3

"We welcome the announcement of Google's $1 billion investment in digital connectivity for North Pacific Connect, which expands the Pacific Connect Initiative, with NEC, to improve digital communications infrastructure between the United States, Japan and Pacific Island Nations," wrote the White House

"Building on the U.S.-Australia joint funding commitment for subsea cables last October, the United States and Japan plan to collaborate with like-minded partners to build trusted and more resilient networks and intend to contribute funds to provide subsea cables in the Pacific region, including $16 million towards cable systems for the Federated States of Micronesia and Tuvalu," added the White House