Google Cloud has announced plans to build three new subsea cable systems across the Americas, a move that will transform the Dominican Republic into a regional data hub and significantly expand the hyperscaler's network infrastructure in the region. The announcement, made in a blog post by Brian Quigley, Google Cloud's vice president of global network infrastructure, introduces the Alisios, Canoa, and OlaLuz cable systems, which together will form what the company calls "Americas Connect."
The new cables will interconnect with Google's existing infrastructure in the region, creating a comprehensive network that links key markets from South America to the US East Coast. The Alisios system, named after the Spanish term for tropical trade winds, will connect the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Chile, and will interlink with Google Cloud regions on the US East Coast, including those in South Carolina and Virginia. The Canoa cable, derived from the Taino word for canoe, will link the Dominican Republic to Bermuda and provide onward connectivity to Europe—specifically Portugal and Spain—through Google's investments in the Nuvem and Sol cable systems.
The third cable, OlaLuz, named after the Spanish words for "wave" and "light," will run directly from the Dominican Republic to Florida. Google also revealed plans to add a new branch from the Dominican Republic to its existing Firmina cable system, which was announced in 2021 and connects the US East Coast to Las Toninas, Argentina, with additional landings in Praia Grande, Brazil, and Punta del Este, Uruguay. In the Pacific, a subsea ring will create redundant paths connecting Chile to Panama, with a third link from Panama to the US West Coast, providing connectivity to Google Cloud regions in Chile, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.
While Google did not disclose specifics regarding capacity, suppliers, or a construction timeline, the investment underscores the company's continued expansion in subsea infrastructure. Google owns or has invested in more than 33 subsea cable projects worldwide, a portfolio that has become increasingly critical as demand for international bandwidth surges. According to a 2024 study from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), the proportion of international subsea capacity used by Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon grew from 10 percent of the global total to 71 percent over the past decade, highlighting the outsized role hyperscalers now play in global connectivity.
The announcement positions the Dominican Republic as a central node in the region's digital ecosystem. President Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona welcomed the development, stating: "The Dominican Republic is pleased to continue partnering with Google to bolster digital connectivity and innovation as part of Americas Connect. Our participation in the Caribbean and Latin America telecommunications network allows us to join our partners in strengthening connectivity across the Americas, serving as an integral node in this expanding digital ecosystem."
Google has historically partnered with telecom operators and wholesalers on subsea projects, though all existing cables in the Americas Connect network are wholly owned by the company or its subsidiaries. Notably, Google partnered with Telefónica's Telxius to land the Sol cable at Santander, Spain. The new investment further cements Google's strategy of building dedicated, high-capacity routes to support its cloud services and data center operations across the Americas.