Submarine cable system project linking India, Malaysia, Singapore unveiled
The 3,600-km system is designed for hyperscaler and AI workloads and is targeted for service in Q4 2029, Lightstorm said.
- On Thursday, July 2, 2026, a consortium including Microsoft, Singtel, Tata Communications, and Lightstorm announced construction of the I-2SEA submarine cable system, a 3,600 km project targeting Q4 2029 service launch.
- Designed to support rapidly growing demand from hyperscalers and GPU infrastructure providers, the facility targets AI training and inference workloads across the India-Southeast Asia corridor.
- NEC Corporation will serve as system supplier, with ASEAN Cableship handling marine installation; dual Indian landing points in Machilipatnam and South Chennai provide connectivity to Hyderabad.
- Lightstorm will operate the cable system's Indian landing stations, providing unified network management through its SmartNet AI Fabric and Polarin platform to deliver the fastest transmission on the Singapore-Malaysia-Hyderabad corridor.
- Capacity commitments are now open, though the consortium shared no details regarding the project's proposed investment; the system operates under a joint build agreement with interoperable, carrier-neutral landing infrastructure.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Microsoft partners with Singapore's Lightstorm to build India-Southeast Asia undersea cable
A consortium including Microsoft and telecom startup Lightstorm plans to build a new undersea cable linking India with Malaysia and Singapore as technology firms compete to expand AI and cloud infrastructure in India, one of the world's fastest-growing data markets.
NEC, Lightstorm, Microsoft, Singtel and Tata Communications Build 3,600-km I-2SEA Submarine Cable to Power AI Connectivity Between India and Southeast Asia
NEC has secured a supply contract for the India-Southeast Asia (I-2SEA) submarine cable system, joining a consortium comprising Lightstorm, Microsoft, Singtel, and Tata Communications to strengthen digital infrastructure connecting India, Malaysia, and Singapore. The new subsea cable is designed to support the rapidly increasing demand for AI, hyperscale cloud services, and enterprise connectivity across one of Asia’s fastest-growing digital cor…
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