Microsoft and Lightstorm Lead New India–Southeast Asia Undersea Cable Project

Microsoft has announced a strategic partnership with Lightstorm, a global connectivity platform, to build a new undersea cable system connecting India with key markets in Southeast Asia. The project, named “Indo-Pacific Express,” aims to meet the surging demand for cloud and AI services in the region.

The cable will span over 8,000 kilometers, linking Mumbai and Chennai in India to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. With an initial design capacity of 192 terabits per second, it will be one of the highest-capacity submarine cables serving the region. The project is expected to be operational by early 2028.

Segment	Distance	Capacity	Target Completion
India–Singapore	3	800 km	72 Tbps	2027
India–Malaysia	2	900 km	72 Tbps	2027
Singapore–Thailand	1	200 km	48 Tbps	2028

The investment comes as Microsoft continues to expand its global network infrastructure to support its Azure cloud platform and AI services. Southeast Asia is one of the fastest-growing cloud markets, driven by digital transformation initiatives across finance, manufacturing, and government sectors. Lightstorm will serve as the design, procurement, and construction partner, bringing expertise from previous large-scale subsea projects. The cable will feature advanced spatial division multiplexing technology, allowing for future capacity upgrades without laying new fiber. Microsoft will have exclusive access to a significant portion of the cable's capacity for its Azure and Microsoft 365 services.