A Few Glass Strands Will Protect U.S. Tech From China
Facebook and Google are seeking to build underwater cables connecting the U.S. to Singapore. It’s a smart strategy.
Rerouting to Singapore.
Photographer: Roslan Rahman/AFP
In Norse mythology, the Bifrost was a burning rainbow bridge that connected different worlds. In 2021, it’s a Silicon Valley-funded fiber optic cable that will connect the U.S. and Singapore.
Announced this week, the modern-day Bifrost is one of two new transpacific fiber optic cables that aim to multiply data capacity between the two countries. They’re being backed by Google and Facebook Inc. and they’ll take a novel route that ensures they steer well clear of China. The projects reveal the extent to which parts of the world are growing warier of China and more dependent upon the U.S. tech giants.