Topaz

Overview

Topaz is a trans-Pacific submarine cable system connecting Canada, Japan, and Taiwan. It spans a critical intercontinental corridor in the Pacific Ocean, linking the west coast of North America to East Asia. The cable became operational in 2023 and is wholly owned by Google. Designed to meet growing demand for high-speed, low-latency connectivity between these regions, Topaz plays a strategic role in supporting Google’s global network infrastructure, including its data centers and cloud services.

With its five landing points distributed across three countries, Topaz enhances connectivity between Canada, Japan, and Taiwan, providing robust capacity for commercial, research, and internet traffic. Its deployment reflects modern engineering standards for submarine cables, ensuring reliable performance in one of the busiest telecommunications corridors in the world.

Route and Landings

Topaz has two landing points in Canada, both located in British Columbia: Port Alberni and Vancouver. Port Alberni, situated on Vancouver Island, provides a strategic coastal location for submarine cable landings. Vancouver, a major urban center, offers direct access to Canada’s telecommunications backbone and data infrastructure. Together, these landings anchor the cable’s North American connectivity.

In Japan, Topaz lands at Shima and Takahagi. Shima, located in Mie Prefecture, is an established hub for submarine cables, while Takahagi, in Ibaraki Prefecture, connects to Japan’s extensive domestic network. These landings ensure redundancy and distribute traffic across multiple points, minimizing risks associated with single-node failures.

Toucheng, situated on Taiwan’s northeastern coast, serves as the cable’s landing point in Taiwan. This location is part of a highly concentrated area for submarine cable infrastructure, reflecting Taiwan’s role as a critical node in global telecommunications. The cable’s route across the northern and western Pacific underscores the importance of connecting these economically significant regions.

Ownership and History

Topaz is fully owned by Google, which has made substantial investments in private submarine cable systems to support its global operations. As part of Google’s broader strategy to enhance its international network, Topaz provides direct connectivity between North America and East Asia, bypassing reliance on third-party infrastructure.

The cable entered service in 2023, marking a significant addition to the trans-Pacific cable landscape. Google’s ownership ensures that Topaz aligns closely with the company’s priorities for high-capacity, low-latency data transmission. Although specific technical details such as fiber pair counts and supplier information remain undisclosed, Topaz reflects the latest advancements in submarine cable technology.

Historically, the trans-Pacific corridor has been served by numerous cables, including EAC-C2C, APCN-2, Trans-Pacific Express (TPE), New Cross Pacific (NCP), and JUPITER. Topaz is among the newest systems, complementing existing infrastructure and addressing increasing demand for connectivity between Canada, Japan, and Taiwan.

What Our Measurements Show

Our live monitoring of Topaz has recorded performance across 113 measured corridors. The cable achieves a best round-trip time (RTT) of 128 milliseconds, with an average RTT of 146 milliseconds. These latency figures highlight the cable’s efficiency in transmitting data across vast distances, supporting latency-sensitive applications such as cloud computing and video conferencing.

The measured latency reflects the cable’s optimized route and modern construction standards, ensuring reliable and fast connectivity between its landing points. Port Alberni and Vancouver provide strong links to Canada’s domestic network, while Shima and Takahagi connect seamlessly to Japan’s infrastructure. Toucheng enhances Taiwan’s role as a critical telecommunications node in East Asia.

Topaz’s performance underscores its importance in the global network, offering low-latency connections that benefit businesses, researchers, and internet users across the Pacific. As demand for international bandwidth continues to grow, Topaz is well-positioned to support the evolving needs of the regions it serves.