From telegrams to terabits

The race for subsea cables is heating up globally, and Ireland is finding itself at the center of the action. Recent reports reveal ambitious plans from tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft, highlighting the country’sstrategic importance in the undersea network that powers our digital world. These new projects echo Ireland's historical significance in subsea cable history, marking a new chapter in its role in global connectivity.

Amazon has applied for a license to survey a vast 16,880 sq km area off the coast of Cork. Their goal? A new transatlantic cable connecting Ireland directly to the United States.. This massive undertaking underscores the growing demand for high-bandwidth data transfer across the Atlantic.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft is also making significant investments in subsea infrastructure. They're planning three separate cables connecting Ireland to the UK, linking Dublin Port, Kilmore Quay, and Portmarnock to Wales. These cables will bolster connectivity within the Irish Sea region, facilitating faster data exchange between Ireland and the UK.

These projects follow Meta's 2022 installation of a subsea cable connecting Ireland to the Nordics, demonstrating a sustained and growing interest in Ireland as a key connectivity hub.

Ireland's prominence in the subsea cable landscape isn't new. It holds a special place in telecommunications history as the landing point for the world's first transatlantic cable, laid in 1858 between Valentia Island and Newfoundland, Canada. That groundbreaking achievement slashed transatlantic communication times from days to minutes, revolutionizing global communication and laying the foundation for the interconnected world we live in today.

Nearly 170 years later, subsea cables remain the invisible yet essential infrastructure that powers our digital lives. They're the backbone of the internet, carrying vast amounts of data across oceans and continents. And now, tech giants are investing heavily in these critical assets, not just to meet the ever-increasing demand for data connectivity, but also to position themselves for dominance in the digital future.

These subsea cables are no longer just about faster web browsing. They are the arteries of the modern digital economy, crucial for everything from cloud computing and artificial intelligence to global financial transactions and streaming entertainment. Control over this infrastructure translates to significant influence in the digital world. As the demand for data continues to soar, the race for subsea cables will only intensify, and Ireland is poised to play a central role. The investments by Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta signal a renewed focus on Ireland's importance in the global network, ensuring its continued relevance in the ever-evolving network of international connectivity.