Amazon officially announced Fastnet last November, though reports had surfaced earlier that year.

Amazon has received the go-ahead from Cork County Council to build a cable landing station for its transatlantic fibre optic cable system called Fastnet. The system is expected to be operational from 2028.

The landing station will be built at Tullyneasky West, around 6km from Owenahincha, which will be the connecting point between Ireland and Maryland, US.

Two existing buildings on the site will be demolished for this project, which is estimated to take around a year. Work is expected to begin later this year.

Amazon officially announced Fastnet last November, though reports of the project had surfaced earlier in that year. The company said it chose Cork to provide for an alternative pathway for critical internet traffic in case of outages or other issues.

According to the company, Fastnet’s design capacity exceeds 320 terabits per second to provide Amazon Web Services users with scalable capacity for use in AI, cloud, research and business.

The company requested a three-year licence starting in 2025 to conduct geophysical survey and site investigations in an area spanning nearly 17,000 sq ft.

It also announced plans for a ‘community benefits fund’ for Cork and Maryland, with plans to support local initiatives such as sustainability and environmental programmes, health and wellbeing services, and educational and workforce development programmes.

Planning approval for the cable station is subject to environmental conditions set by the council. The Irish Independent reported that the community fund will cost the $2.6trn company around €150,000.

Speaking to the publication, West Cork Councillor Deirdre Kelly said that the development would bring “improved digital infrastructure, increased connectivity and potential economic benefits, including local employment during construction and maintenance phases”.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, TD praised the project last year, calling it a “vote of confidence in Ireland’s digital future, helping to enable the next wave of innovation in cloud computing and artificial intelligence”.

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