David Selby, director of global network planning and acquisition at AWS, told RCR that the system is designed to address concentration risk in existing transpacific infrastructure by using new landing locations rather than traditional hubs
In sum – what to know
Diversity reduces risk – AWS says Sta’O’Nuk’s new Washington and Japan landing locations are designed to reduce the risk of multiple systems being disrupted by a single event.
AI raises demands – Distributed AI training and real-time inference require low latency, predictable performance and resilient international paths alongside greater capacity.
Build times lengthen – AWS says subsea cable development timelines have extended to five to seven years as permitting requirements become more complex.
AWS is highlighting geographic diversity as a key element of its strategy for Sta’O’Nuk, a new transpacific subsea cable designed to add 420 Tbps of capacity between the U.S. and Japan.
David Selby, director of global network planning and acquisition at AWS, said the system is designed to address concentration risk in existing transpacific infrastructure by using new landing locations rather than traditional hubs.
“Sta’O’Nuk addresses a concentration risk in today’s transpacific cable landscape. Existing systems between the U.S. and Japan land at traditional hubs in California, Oregon, and Japan’s Chiba Peninsula and Shima. By choosing new landing locations, Hogan’s Corner, Washington and a diverse point in Japan, Sta’O’Nuk creates geographically separated network paths that reduce the risk of a single event disrupting multiple systems,” he told RCR Wireless News.
Selby pointed to the 2024 Ivory Coast and Red Sea cable disruptions as an example of the value of network diversity. Four subsea cables were damaged off the Ivory Coast due to a landslide, coinciding with separate damage in the Red Sea. Through AWS network diversity strategy, customers in Cape Town maintained access to cloud resources throughout the disruption, he said.
AWS said in a September blog that Sta’O’Nuk will use a new landing point in Washington state and a diverse landing point in Japan. The system is expected to become operational in 2029 and will deliver 420 Tbps across 20 fiber pairs.
AI is also changing the requirements for international connectivity, although Selby said AI is only one of several sources of demand. Distributed model training and real-time inference require low latency, predictable performance, and resilient paths across continents, while cloud computing, enterprise workloads, streaming, and edge computing are also driving demand.
“AI workloads like distributed model training and real-time inference need more than raw bandwidth. They need low latency, predictable performance, and resilient paths across continents. But AI is just one driver. Cloud computing, enterprise workloads, streaming, and edge computing are all fueling demand for more capacity and more resilient international connectivity,” he said.
He said the requirements for capacity, resilience, and performance continue to increase, with Sta’O’Nuk designed around those requirements. “The demand for capacity, resilience, and performance is only growing. Sta’O’Nuk’s 420 Tbps across 20 fiber pairs is built for that reality. As these demands accelerate, the subsea networks being built today will define who can participate in the AI economy and at what scale,” he said.
AWS said Sta’O’Nuk will integrate into the AWS Global Network. The cable will also incorporate flexibility for alternate connection points that could allow AWS to expand capacity or extend connectivity to additional locations as demand grows over time.
At the same time, permitting is emerging as a major constraint on subsea infrastructure development. Selby said increasingly complex permitting requirements have lengthened development timelines.
“One of the most significant challenges facing the subsea industry is the growing complexity of the permitting process. Development timelines have extended from an average of 3 years to 5-7 years, largely driven by permitting requirements. We believe thoughtful regulation plays an important role in protecting security and resiliency, and we’re committed to working collaboratively with regulators to ensure the process supports, rather than slows, the buildout of critical infrastructure,” the executive said.
Selby also identified route diversity as a dominant industry theme, alongside cable security, longer supply timelines, and advances in optical technology. He said AWS uses multilayered encryption, diverse routing and continuous monitoring as part of its approach to security and resilience.
“On the supply side, build timelines for new subsea capacity are getting longer, pushing the industry to plan further ahead. And advances in optical technology continue to push per-cable throughput higher, making each new system significantly more capable than the last,” he said.
Hyperscalers are also playing a growing role in the development of subsea systems and routes, although Selby stressed that traditional telecom operators and regional players remain important partners.
