Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced- ‘Fastnet’, a new state-of-the-art transatlantic subsea fiber optic cable system connecting Maryland, U.S., and County Cork, Ireland. When operational in 2028, Fastnet will add vital diversity for customers by building a new data pathway with unique landing points, keeping services running even if other undersea cables encounter issues. This enhanced network resilience will improve global connectivity and meet rising demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI).
Increasing resilience through system diversity
Fastnet is a dedicated transatlantic cable system designed with two strategic landing points that deliver critical route diversity away from traditional cable corridors.
This strategic placement strengthens the network in two ways:
- It provides backup routes if other cables encounter issues,
- It creates a network design for growing demands in cloud computing, AI, and edge applications that use AWS services such as Amazon CloudFront and AWS Global Accelerator.
The Fastnet system incorporates advanced optical switching branching unit technology, engineered to accommodate future topology needs. This state-of-the-art unit is strategically positioned on the cable route, enabling seamless redirection of data to future landing points as network demands evolve. This scalable architecture is specifically designed to handle growing AI traffic loads, allowing customers to rapidly expand their data demands while the system adapts to accommodate future growth.
Fastnet is designed for long-term reliability and performance. The system combines robust cable armoring with additional layers of protective steel wires in nearshore areas to protect against natural and human activity.
Anatomy of submarine communications cable with labeled layers (source: AWS)
With a design capacity exceeding 320 terabits per second (Tbps), Fastnet will integrate directly into AWS’s comprehensive global network. To put this capacity in perspective, the system could transmit the entire digitized Library of Congress three times every second, or stream 12.5 million high definition (HD) films simultaneously. This integration enables rapid data rerouting and multiple layers of redundancy, helping ensure uninterrupted operations for customers.
Unlike the public internet, where each networking device makes routing decisions with limited network visibility, AWS’s centralized, real-time traffic monitoring system has complete visibility into every link within the global network. This system implements millions of daily optimizations to ensure customer traffic always uses the most available and performant path, avoiding congestion and other issues before they impact applications.
Through Fastnet, customers benefit from secured long-term capacity and rapidly scalable bandwidth for their most critical operations, from generative AI and cloud-native applications to advanced research, transatlantic business connectivity, and international commerce. This investment in network diversity helps ensure customers can reliably access their cloud resources, with the flexibility to quickly expand capacity as their demands grow.
Driving community development
AWS emphasized that infrastructure projects of this scale are most successful when developed in partnership with local communities. Since the project’s inception, the company has collaborated with local organizations, nonprofits, and residents in Maryland and County Cork to understand community priorities and define success.
As part of this commitment, AWS is establishing Community Benefit Funds for both Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the County Cork region. These funds will support locally driven initiatives such as sustainability programs, health and well-being services, STEM education, workforce development, inclusion and diversity initiatives, and measures addressing homelessness and hunger.
“Amazon’s new Fastnet transatlantic subsea cable represents a vote of confidence in Ireland’s digital future, helping to enable the next wave of innovation in cloud computing and artificial intelligence,” said Taoiseach Micheál Martin. “By linking County Cork to Maryland in the United States, Ireland will become a true gateway to Europe for submarine telecommunications cables. This investment will enhance our global connectivity, reinforce the resilience of critical digital infrastructure, and strengthen our economic competitiveness.”
Transatlantic route between Maryland and County Cork on world map (source: AWS)
“Building Maryland’s first-ever subsea fiber cable is an achievement bigger than broadband connectivity—it’s about securing Maryland’s status as a global hub for innovation, job creation, and high-tech investment,” said Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland. “To grow our economy, we need to prioritize industries of the future. That is exactly what this project helps us deliver, in partnership with leaders with deep local ties and robust commitment to community engagement.”
Building the next generation of global infrastructure
AWS’s global infrastructure currently spans 38 Geographic Regions and 120 Availability Zones, with plans for 10 additional Availability Zones and 3 more AWS Regions. These are connected by over 9 million kilometers of terrestrial and subsea fiber optic cabling, a distance equivalent to traveling from Earth to the Moon and back more than 11 times, built with redundancy at every layer.
The AWS network employs automated management tools that continuously monitor and resolve 96% of network events without human intervention through services such as Elastic Load Balancing, Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling, and Amazon CloudWatch. The company’s real-time traffic monitoring ensures customer data always takes the most available and performant path.
Illustration showing infrastructure of intercontinental network connection (source: AWS)
As digital services become increasingly central to global commerce and innovation, AWS continues to invest in infrastructure that ensures secure, high-capacity, and reliable data transfer between continents. With Fastnet, the company takes another major step toward building the resilient, AI-ready network infrastructure of the future.
