Smarter Eyes on the Ocean Floor

Asia-Pacific tests AI to guard vital subsea cables from damage.

9 Jun 2025

In the Asia-Pacific, the business of running subsea cables is shifting. Alongside new routes, some operators are experimenting with artificial intelligence to keep the seabed’s arteries clear. From Singapore to Japan, they are testing sensing systems that can detect trouble before it cuts capacity.

Once an optional extra, such monitoring is edging towards necessity. Distributed acoustic and temperature sensors can pick up faint vibrations or heat changes over thousands of kilometres, revealing the signs of anchors dragging, trawlers at work or shifts in the seabed. With demand from AI data centres, cloud providers and streaming services still climbing, the appeal is obvious.

AP Sensing, a global vendor of such systems, couples its hardware with machine learning analytics designed to reduce false alarms. That, in theory, frees operators to focus on urgent risks. The firm is active in Asia-Pacific, though it has not disclosed local installations.

The commercial pitch is changing too. In addition to faster speeds and route diversity, some operators are weighing premium packages: high-capacity lines that also provide continuous monitoring and links to maritime authorities. Such extras may tempt hyperscale clients keen to avoid downtime. "Resilience is becoming a key selling point," says one industry analyst.

Yet scaling up is tricky. Fitting entire networks with sensors demands capital and expertise to make sense of the data streams. Trials suggest, however, that earlier detection and swifter response can avert expensive outages.

With several new cable projects in the region now designing smart monitoring in from the start, Asia-Pacific could help set global norms. The contest in subsea connectivity may be decided not just by how much capacity a cable carries, but by how rarely it fails.