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TechQuiet 45h · day 2

U.S. funds $14 billion Southeast Asia subsea cable to bypass China

The USTDA is bankrolling a trans-Pacific internet cable route that avoids the South China Sea as Washington seeks to secure digital infrastructure.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 1d ago4 pieces NewswiresMastodonReddit

What to know

  • The USTDA is funding a feasibility study for a $14 billion subsea cable linking Thailand and the U.S. while avoiding the South China Sea, part of Washington's effort to prevent China from controlling Southeast Asia's digital infrastructure.
  • The cable would address capacity and resilience gaps left by the aging Asia-America Gateway, which experiences frequent outages and lacks redundancy for nations like Cambodia and Malaysia.
  • Southeast Asian countries are being caught between competing U.S. and Chinese tech ecosystems, with each nation forced to choose alignment as both blocs compete for control of critical infrastructure.

“Southeast Asian countries need to re-evaluate what neutrality means today for each of them, and how policy decisions across sectors collectively determine whether they are too dependent on any major power during times of peace or crisis.”

Muhammad Faizal Bin Abdul Rahman, Research fellow, Nanyang Technological University · Fortune ↗

U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Funder of feasibility studyNational Telecom Thailand state-owned telco, project leadMuhammad Faizal Bin Abdul Rahman Research fellow, Nanyang Technological UniversityAsha Hemrajani Senior fellow, Nanyang Technological University

U.S. funds $14 billion Southeast Asia subsea cable to bypass China
fortune.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in one hour at Sep 22, 5 AM; 4 pieces over 3 days (1 article · 3 posts) Sep 21, 3 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Mastodon 1, Reddit 1Sep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quiet 1
Sep 22yesterdaynow · 3:44 AM ET
  1. 1

    Fortune reports on geopolitical motivations and design of cable project

    Coverage reveals the cable is part of Washington's strategy to control internet infrastructure underpinning AI development and prevent China from accessing Southeast Asia's digital networks. The project is estimated to cost over $14 billion and addresses infrastructure gaps left by the aging Asia-America Gateway cable, which has experienced frequent outages.

    “The military conflicts in the Middle East and Europe show that geopolitical crises can trigger cyber or physical disruptions to subsea cables. The U.S. and its Asia-Pacific allies believe that China could use similar tactics.”
    — Muhammad Faizal Bin Abdul Rahman
    1. 1 outlet The U.S. is backing a $14 billion cable to keep Southeast Asia’s internet out of China’s reach

      first by Fortune, 2d ago

  2. background

    USTDA funds feasibility study for Thailand-U.S. subsea cable — The U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced funding for a feasibility study of a new subsea cable linking Thailand, the U.S., and five other Southeast Asian countries, with the route deliberately avoiding the South China Sea.