Microsoft has partnered with Lightstorm to build a cable between India and Singapore

• Microsoft has teamed up with Lightstorm to build the I-2SEA cable between India and Singapore, connecting Singapore and Malaysia.
• I-2SEA is expected to span 3,600 km and connect Machilipatnam, with service starting in the fourth quarter of 2029.
• Lightstorm says the new cable will significantly increase the amount of AI that can be handled between India and Singapore from 19 to 29, with plans to roll out service across India in 2027.

For more details, see Asharq Al-Awsat and The Next Web.

Microsoft has partnered with Singapore-based Lightstorm, which plans to build a new undersea cable linking Singapore and Malaysia with India. The companies have not commented further.

The I-2SEA system is designed to support 3,600 km of underwater data transmission for AI hyperscale services, with a new route running from India to the data-center hub in the country.

According to the companies, the cable will be built by Microsoft and Lightstorm, with Tata Communications, Singtel (Singapore), ASEAN Cableship and Japan’s NEC Corporation. The cable’s planned route runs from the station in Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the cable is expected to be ready for service after 2029. The company says the cable will not only support data transmission, but also improve the reliability of communications, with the cable planned to be laid across the ocean.

According to CEO and managing director of Lightstorm Group Amajit Gupta, the company is investing in 19 AI and other zones in India, with the new cable expected to handle up to 29. Gupta added that Lightstorm plans to provide service in India in 2027, without providing further details.

India has 17 active subsea cable projects with a maximum potential transmission capacity of 960 terabits per second, according to TeleGeography. This is why the cable is expected to account for more than 95% of international traffic worldwide.

Tags: Technology/AI