Google has announced that it partnered with Desarrollo País of Chile and the Office of Posts and Telecommunications of French Polynesia (OPT) to unveil the Humboldt project, a subsea cable route connecting Chile, French Polynesia, and Australia.

This initiative marks the first-ever direct subsea cable link between South America and the Asia-Pacific region, enhancing digital connectivity and fostering economic ties across the Pacific.

The Humboldt project addresses a long-standing ambition of the Chilean government since 2016, establishing a direct fiber optic network between South America and the Asia-Pacific region. 

Once operational, the cable will fortify the reliability and resilience of digital connectivity by interconnecting cables within the South Pacific Connect initiative.

The Humboldt project complements projects such as the Google data center in Quilicura, the Google Cloud region in Santiago, cross-Andes terrestrial connectivity between Chile and Argentina, and the Curie subsea cable linking Chile, Panama, and the West Coast of the United States.

Subsea cables play a crucial role in driving economic growth and job creation. Analysts estimate that Google's previous submarine cable deployments in Latin America and the Caribbean region will contribute to a cumulative increase in GDP of $178 billion between 2017 and 2027, supporting the creation of approximately 740,000 additional jobs by 2027.

The cable is named after Alexander von Humboldt, a German polymath and explorer who traveled extensively to the Americas in the 19th century.
 
The moniker was chosen through a naming contest organized by Desarrollo País and Chile's Undersecretary of Telecommunications.

The Humboldt project is now moving into the materialization phase, and this collaboration is set to transform Chile into a global digital hub and strengthen its position in the fast-evolving digital landscape.