Meta says its 50,000-km subsea cable project will accelerate India's digital infrastructure growth

Meta's Project Waterworth is expected to be ready for service at the end of the decade (Image Source: Meta)

Facebook parent Meta’s Project Waterworth, a 50,000-kilometre subsea cable project connecting India, the United States, and other regions, will accelerate the country’s digital infrastructure growth and support its ambitious digital economy plans, the company said on February 14.

India is the biggest market for Meta's family of apps, which includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, with a combined user base of over a billion monthly users. It is also a crucial market for the company's global artificial intelligence (AI) efforts.

"Meta is investing in India...bringing the world’s longest, highest capacity and most technologically advanced subsea cable project to connect India, the US, and other locations," a Meta spokesperson told Moneycontrol.

"Driven by India’s growing demand for digital services, this investment reaffirms Meta's commitment to economic growth, resilient infrastructure, and digital inclusion, supporting India's thriving digital landscape and fostering technological innovation," the spokesperson said.

What is Project Waterworth?

On February 14, Meta announced a multi-billion, multi-year investment in Project Waterworth that will begin work this year and eventually span over 50,000 kilometre to connect five continents, making it the world’s longest subsea cable project.

The project is part of the social networking giant's efforts to become a prominent communication infrastructure player and will strengthen global digital highways in the Indian Ocean region and beyond. It is expected to be ready for service at the end of the decade.

This announcement came following the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the United States to meet US president Donald Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and others.

In a joint statement earlier this week, the leaders of both countries welcomed Meta's announcement supporting greater Indian Ocean connectivity.

"India intends to invest in maintenance, repair and financing of undersea cables in the Indian Ocean, using trusted vendors" the statement said.

Meta stated that the project will open three new oceanic corridors with the abundant, high speed connectivity needed to drive AI innovation around the world.

"Subsea cables projects, such as Project Waterworth, are the backbone of global digital infrastructure, accounting for more than 95 percent of intercontinental traffic across the world’s oceans to seamlessly enable digital communication, video experiences, online transactions, and more" the company said in a blogpost.

Meta stated that it is developing more than 20 subsea cables overall, which include multiple deployments with 24 fiber pairs – compared to the typical 8 to 16 fiber pairs of other new systems. "These investments enable unmatched connectivity for our world’s increasing digital needs," it said.

Meta ramps up AI spending

This announcement comes as Meta ramps up its AI infrastructure spending, planning to invest $60 billion to $65 billion in capital expenditures (CapEx) to strengthen its AI efforts in 2025.

Last month, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg said during the company's earnings call that Meta will invest "hundreds of billions of dollars" in AI infrastructure over the long term. "I continue to think that investing very heavily in CapEx and infrastructure is going to be a strategic advantage over time," he said.

In a blog post on February 14, Meta’s VP of engineering, Gaya Nagarajan, and the global head of network investments, Alex-Handrah Aimé, stated that AI is "revolutionising every aspect of our lives, from how we interact with each other to how we think about infrastructure".

"As AI continues to transform industries and societies around the world, it’s clear that capacity, resilience, and global reach are more important than ever to support leading infrastructure. With Project Waterworth, we can help ensure that the benefits of AI and other emerging technologies are available to everyone, regardless of where they live or work" the executives said.