The JV project, known as the Intra-Asia Marine Cable (I-AM Cable), will link Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore; it is between NTT Data, Sumitomo and JA Mitsui Leasing
In sum – what to know:
Intra-Asia system – NTT Data, Sumitomo and JA Mitsui Leasing formed I-AM NW to build and operate a $1bn submarine cable linking Japan with Southeast and East Asia.
High-capacity design – WSS and SDM technologies enable up to 320 Tbps of capacity with adaptable bandwidth to meet evolving traffic needs.
Regional resilience – Multiple Japanese landing points improve redundancy, disaster resilience and Japan’s role as a regional data hub.
Japanese companies NTT Data Group, Sumitomo Corporation and JA Mitsui Leasing have announced the creation of a new joint venture, Intra-Asia Marine Networks (I-AM NW), to build and operate a major submarine communications system connecting Japan with key markets across Asia.
The project, known as the Intra-Asia Marine Cable (I-AM Cable), will link Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore, with additional connections to Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan. The total project cost is estimated at approximately $1 billion.
The partners noted that the new cable system is designed to support rising data and AI-driven demand across Asia by strengthening regional connectivity and resilience.
Japan’s geographic position between Asia and the United States makes it a critical data hub. The I-AM Cable will secure multiple routes from three Japanese landing stations in Chiba, Mie and Fukuoka to Southeast Asia, improving redundancy and resilience against natural disasters.
The system will incorporate wavelength selective switch (WSS) technology, allowing operators to remotely adjust bandwidth by route, as well as space division multiplexing (SDM) technology supporting up to 16 fiber pairs per cable. Together, these technologies will deliver a total design capacity of around 320 terabits per second.
I-AM NW will oversee the project from planning through to the sale of communication circuits, providing services to global technology companies and telecom operators across Asia, the partners said.
In November 2025, Google announced TalayLink, a new subsea cable system aimed at connecting Australia and Thailand, highlighting that the new subsea system is designed to increase geographic diversity and strengthen digital connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region.
Also in November, Google had unveiled Dhivaru, a new Trans-Indian Ocean subsea cable system that will link the Maldives, Christmas Island, and Oman. In addition to the subsea cable system, Google also said it will build two new connectivity hubs in the Maldives and Christmas Island.
