Lightstorm, Microsoft, Singtel and Tata Communications launch the build of India- Southeast Asia (I-2SEA) Submarine Cable System

A Submarine Cable Purpose-Built to Interconnect AI Regions Across India, Malaysia and Singapore

Hyderabad, India, 02/07/2026 — Lightstorm, Asia Pacific’s leading AI connectivity platform, today announced the official signing of the contracts to launch the build of a brand new submarine cable system, connecting India, Malaysia and Singapore, with consortium partners Microsoft, Singtel and Tata Communications. The cable system, to be named as I-2SEA, is designed from the ground up to serve the rapidly growing demand from hyperscalers, GPU infrastructure providers, and enterprises running AI training and inference workloads across the India–Southeast Asia corridor.

I-2SEA links India's East Coast home to the fastest-growing AI and hyperscaler data center clusters in Hyderabad and Chennai — directly to Singapore, the region's preeminent cloud interconnect and AI hub, and Malaysia's emerging data center corridor at Kuala Lumpur. The cable system will have dual landings in India, with one at Machilipatnam providing the shortest subsea access to Hyderabad, and the other at a new diverse landing location in South Chennai. The Lightstorm customers in this cable system will have the option of connecting into Lightstorm's 30,000+ km terrestrial network for seamless onward reach to Hyderabad, Mumbai, and 80+ data centers nationwide.

Targeted to be Ready-for-Service in Q4 2029, this high-capacity cable of estimated total length of 3600 km from Singapore to Machilipatnam with onward connectivity to Hyderabadwhen coupled with Lightstorm’s low latency backhaul network in India, is expected to deliver fastest transmission of any cable on the Singapore/Malaysia–Hyderabad corridor, the most strategically critical city pair for AI workloads in the region.

Lightstorm works around a single mission: interconnecting intelligence. As majority owner of I-2SEA and with SmartNet AI Fabric already delivering AI-ready transport across data centers and GPU clusters in India, we can now offer the natural extension of that platform into the subsea domain. On our network, AI regions across India, Malaysia, and Singapore will be connected by a single, purpose-built, end-to-end system — engineered for the performance and scale that AI infrastructure requires.

— Amajit Gupta, Group CEO & MD, Lightstorm

I-2SEA, for Lightstorm customers, will integrate Lightstorm's SmartNet AI Fabric — engineered for low-jitter, loss-optimized transport across data centers, cloud hubs, and distributed AI zones — into the subsea domain. Lightstorm operates the cable system's Indian landing stations and is equipped to provide unified network management through its SmartNet AI Fabric and Polarin platform. The system features an Interoperable cable architecture and carrier-neutral landing infrastructure at both Indian landing points. Combined with Lightstorm's Polarin platform for on-demand provisioning and real time network visibility, Lightstorm customers can activate, scale and monitor I-2SEA capacity with speed and flexibility.

Built with resilience at its core, the system utilises optimal route planning combined with a deep cable burial strategy that targets three-meter depth across the entire network for the buried sections. This gives the I-2SEA cable system high level of protection and high uptime.

The I-2SEA consortium operates under a Joint Build Agreement among Lightstorm, Microsoft, Singtel and Tata Communications. NEC Corporation has been appointed as system supplier and ASEAN Cableship Pte Ltd (ACPL) as marine installation partner. The system is now open for capacity commitments.

About Lightstorm

Lightstorm is the AI connectivity platform built to interconnect intelligence — engineered for performance, delivered with simplicity. Its SmartNet AI Fabric provides purpose-built, low-jitter, loss-optimized transport across 30,000+ km of terrestrial fiber, 21,000+ km of subsea fiber, and 100+ connected data centers globally. Delivered through its Polarin NaaS platform, Lightstorm enables enterprises, hyperscalers, and AI infrastructure providers to provision and monitor global connectivity on demand with real time visibility into network health and performance. I-2SEA, co-developed with Microsoft, Tata Communications, and Singtel, extends its AI corridor vision to the India–Southeast Asia subsea corridor. For more information, please visit www.lightstorm.net

About Singtel Group

Singtel Group is a leading connectivity, digital infrastructure and services group based in Asia, operating next-generation connectivity, digital infrastructure and digital businesses including regional data centre arm Nxera and regional IT services arm NCS. The Group has presence in Asia, Australia and Africa and reaches over 839 million mobile customers in 20 countries. Singtel is one of the most technically experienced consortium partners, with its long history and expertise in submarine cable investments in the region. Its extensive cable portfolio spans more than 195,000 km and connects over 30 countries, underscoring its strong capabilities in developing and operating international connectivity infrastructure.

About Tata Communications

A part of the Tata Group, Tata Communications (NSE: TATACOMM; BSE: 500483) is a global digital ecosystem enabler powering today's fast-growing digital economy in more than 190 countries and territories. Leading with trust, it enables digital transformation of enterprises globally with collaboration and connected solutions, core and next gen connectivity, cloud hosting and security solutions and media services. 300 of the Fortune 500 companies are its customers and the company connects businesses to 80% of the world's cloud giants. For more information, please visit www.tatacommunications.com

About ASEAN Cableship Pte Ltd (ACPL)

With over 40 years of expertise in the submarine cable industry, ASEAN Cableship Pte Ltd (ACPL) is a premier provider of subsea connectivity solutions in the region. Operating a specialized fleet of cableships and near-shore installation barges, ACPL excels in complex deep-burial installations and comprehensive cable maintenance. ACPL is the appointed marine installation partner for I-2SEA.

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is a global leader in the integration of IT and network technologies. NEC has deployed submarine cable systems totalling over 450,000 km worldwide and is the appointed system supplier for I-2SEA.