The U.S. and China are locked in an intensifying rivalry over control of the submarine fiber-optic cables that carry intercontinental data [1].
This struggle for digital sovereignty is critical because these undersea networks serve as the physical backbone of the global internet. As artificial intelligence development surges, the demand for massive cross-border data transfers has turned these cables into strategic assets for national security.
Submarine cables carry nearly 99 percent of intercontinental data traffic [1]. The global AI boom has accelerated the need for high-capacity routes to move the vast amounts of information required to train and operate large-scale AI models. This has prompted both nations to seek greater control over the infrastructure to ensure data integrity and prevent espionage.
Beijing accused Washington of “politicising” global undersea cable networks, officials said [1]. The tension reflects a broader effort by both superpowers to secure their digital borders while expanding their influence over the physical layers of the internet.
Control over these routes allows a nation to potentially monitor, redirect, or disrupt the flow of information. Because AI relies on the seamless movement of data across borders, any disruption or restriction in these cables could hinder technological progress or create strategic vulnerabilities.
The competition focuses on the routes used by AI-heavy data traffic, where the scale of information transfer is unprecedented. As the U.S. and China vie for dominance in the AI sector, the physical cables beneath the ocean have become a primary front in the geopolitical stand-off [1].
“Submarine cables carry nearly 99 percent of intercontinental data traffic.”
The shift from general internet connectivity to AI-driven data demands transforms undersea cables from simple utility infrastructure into critical strategic terrain. If the world splits into two competing cable ecosystems—one led by the U.S. and one by China—it could lead to a 'splinternet,' where data flow is dictated by geopolitical alignment rather than technical efficiency.
