Google’s Dunant Subsea Cable is Now Live

Google, in collaboration with SubCom, has announced the activation of its privately-owned Dunant subsea cable.

This cable connects Virginia Beach, Virginia, to Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez on the French Atlantic coast.

Project Origins and Delays

The project was initially unveiled in mid-2018, named in honor of Henry Dunant, the inaugural recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Red Cross.

Original projections anticipated the cable’s operational status by 2020.

However, the project faced unforeseen challenges, including the complexities of transcontinental cable deployment and the global pandemic.

Dunant’s Technical Specifications

Spanning nearly 4,000 miles, the Dunant cable boasts a substantial capacity of 250 terabits per second.

This bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the entire digitized Library of Congress three times per second.

Dunant distinguishes itself from older cables through its utilization of 12 fiber pairs and several innovative technologies designed to maximize bandwidth.

Google’s Statement

Mark Sokol, Senior Director of Infrastructure at Google Cloud, stated, “Google remains committed to fulfilling the increasing demand for cloud services and online content.”

“Dunant’s exceptional capacity and transmission speeds will enhance user access to content globally and bolster one of the internet’s most heavily utilized routes, supporting the expansion of Google Cloud.”

Sokol further emphasized that the cable’s completion was a collaborative effort, acknowledging the dedication of SubCom, Google’s personnel, partners, and suppliers in overcoming numerous obstacles.

Future Cable Projects

With Dunant now operational, Google’s next planned cable deployment is the Grace Hopper cable.

This cable will link New York with Europe, featuring landing points in Bilbao, Spain, and Bude, UK.

Announced last July, the Grace Hopper cable is expected to become active in 2022 and will incorporate a total of 16 fiber pairs.

Additional Infrastructure Investments

Furthermore, Google is currently constructing the Equiano cable, which will connect South Africa to Portugal.

This cable is slated for completion later in the current year.

Beyond its independently owned cables, Google actively participates in consortiums dedicated to the development of cable systems.

These partnerships allow for shared resources and expertise in expanding global network infrastructure.

Image Credits: Google

Image Credits: Google