Google will spend $1 billion on new subsea cables for improved internet connectivity between the US and Japan.

The tech giant is creating two new undersea fiber-optic cables, Proa and Taihei, for the Pacific Connect project.

Google is partnering with telecom providers like the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), KDDI, ARTERIA, and Citadel Pacific for this project.

Minami-boso in Chiba Prefecture is a hub for internet connectivity between Tokyo and other countries. ARTERIA supported the arrival of Topaz, which was the first submarine cable landing in the Ibaraki region in over 20 years.

Guam, CNMI, and Japan will all be connected via the Proa cable. It will create a new link between the continental US and Shima, Japan, and be the first international undersea cable for the CNMI.

Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, Arnold I. Palacios, said that the name "Proa" embodies the community spirit and cultural heritage. The "Proa" reflects the cooperative approach of the project, showing determination and progress for the future of the islands. The cable system Taiwan-Philippines-US (TPU) will be extended to the CNMI to enhance reliability in the area.

Taihei, a Japanese word for "peace" and "Pacific Ocean," is the name of another cable that will connect Hawaii and Japan. In order to create a diversified data connection between the US mainland and Takahagi, Japan, Google plans to extend its current Tabua cable from the continental US to Hawaii.

Further, enhancing dependability and lowering latency for Pacific island countries will be an interlink cable linking Hawaii, the CNMI, and Guam.

Google says its previous network investments in Japan have added $400 million to the country's GDP over the past decade. The new cables will close the digital gap and offer services across the Pacific.

Google's statement follows a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and US President Joe Biden, where several innovative technology initiatives were announced.