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| Google enriches its cloud services with Firmina submarine cable |
Google is improving cloud computing capabilities with a new submarine cable running from the east coast of the United States to Argentina, and has also added connection points in Brazil and Uruguay.
Firmina is the 16th submarine cable invested by Google and the sixth submarine cable fully invested by Google.
The announcement comes at a time when spending on cloud infrastructure services has exceeded its ceiling as the global pandemic has pushed companies to confront digital transformation and remote work has increased the demand for cloud-based services.
The three companies known as the big public cloud companies (Amazon, Microsoft, and Google) reported a significant increase in performance in the last quarter.
When it comes to spending on cloud infrastructure services, Google lags behind its competitors with a share of 7%, Amazon 32% and Microsoft 19%. For this reason, Google continues to invest in a variety of submarine cable networks.
A Google spokesperson said, "Without the Google Network, it would be impossible to deliver products like Gmail, BigQuery, other Workspace products, and Google Cloud products with the quality of service that users expect."
"Our cabling system delivers the speed, capacity, and reliability that Google is known for around the world," he added. Our customers can benefit from the same network infrastructure used for Google's own services.
It is estimated that submarine cables carry 98% of all internet traffic today.
For the search giant, this is an important way to increase speed and reduce latency for billions of consumers and businesses around the world.
Google and submarine cables:
The Google-funded submarine cable enables the company to effectively plan for the future capacity needs of its global customers and users and create a level of security beyond what is available on the public Internet.
Firmina follows a similar path to the current Monet cable, except that Firmina links the United States with Las Toñas in Argentina, with connections to Punta del Este, Uruguay and Playa Grande, Brazil.
According to the company, Firmina will be the world's longest cable that can run from a single power source. This has a huge impact on uptime and flexibility as it protects the cable if a single power source is damaged by load or fishing.
Performance at one end helps improve reliability. It is similar to a twin-engine aircraft and is designed to operate with a single engine.
For cables, if one end of the cable fails, one end can support the entire system.
With shorter submarine cables, single-ended power solutions are very common. But the longer the cable, the higher the power consumption.
To counter that, the effort Firmina receives is 20% higher than the previous system.
Increasing the power provided by the pavement is a very complex challenge. This is because it affects the equipment feeding the ground and all cables, and all optical fibers must meet the higher voltage requirements.
For the first time, Firmina is using a new type of power device that can use a higher voltage. This will provide more power to the cable at one end.
Today's announcement comes months after the third fully funded Google-funded submarine cable went into operation. It stretches for 5,977 miles from the United States to France.
The company's fourth Equiano cable and fifth Grace Hopper cable are expected to go live next year.