Google unveils Americas Connect cable plan

On August 11, 2026, Google announced a major expansion of its subsea cable footprint in the Americas under a project called Americas Connect. The initiative introduces three new subsea cable systems, named Alisios, Canoa and OlaLuz, and adds a new branch to the existing Firmina cable. The expansion is focused on enhancing connectivity for the Dominican Republic and improving data routes across Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States and Europe.

The Americas Connect project is intended to increase capacity and route diversity for traffic flowing between South America, the Caribbean and major cloud and internet hubs in North America and Europe. By designing multiple, interconnected systems, the project seeks to provide more resilient pathways for data, reducing dependence on single routes and creating alternative options in case of disruptions.

Alisios is planned as a subsea cable system connecting the Dominican Republic, Panama and Chile. It is described as creating redundant Pacific routes, including a ring between Chile and Panama and a path from Panama toward the U.S. west coast. These routes are intended to support connectivity between Google Cloud regions in Chile, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

By linking Chile and Panama in a ring configuration, Alisios is designed to offer alternative paths for traffic along the Pacific coast of the Americas. The additional route from Panama toward the U.S. west coast is expected to integrate South American and Caribbean traffic more directly with cloud infrastructure in the western United States.

Canoa will connect the Dominican Republic with Bermuda, creating a new route through the North Atlantic. The system is intended to interconnect with Google’s Nuvem and Sol subsea cables, which provide transatlantic connectivity. Through these interconnections, traffic from the Dominican Republic will have onward routes toward North America and Europe.

The combination of Canoa with Nuvem and Sol is designed to give the Dominican Republic additional options for reaching major internet hubs on both sides of the Atlantic. This structure is aimed at diversifying paths for international data flows and reducing reliance on any single transatlantic link.

OlaLuz is planned as a direct subsea cable between the Dominican Republic and Florida. This link will establish a shorter path into the southeastern United States, an important region for data centers and internet exchange points. The direct route is expected to complement the longer, more complex paths created by other systems in the Americas Connect initiative.

In addition to the three new systems, Google will extend a branch of its existing Firmina subsea cable into the Dominican Republic. Firmina is a long-haul system in the Atlantic, and the new branch will integrate the Dominican Republic into this broader network. Together with Alisios, Canoa and OlaLuz, the Firmina extension is intended to enhance capacity, resilience and geographic reach for connectivity across the Americas and beyond.