The new 14,800 km Humboldt cable, to go live by 2027, will not only be the first undersea cable to span the South Pacific, but is also the first such deal that Google has done with a sovereign nation.

The cable, which was first flagged as a project in early 2024, will reportedly connect the Chilean seaport city of Valparaiso with Sydney Australia, which are both situated on approximately the same southern latitude.

Australia and Chile are both large mining countries and it is envisaged by authorities that the undersea cable will foster investment and cooperation within that industry.

"By having a direct route, mining companies that have operations in Chile and Australia can think about a shared command centre," said Chile's deputy secretary of telecommunications, Claudio Araya.

According to Google, the cable will not only be used by the search giant but also other users such as tech companies operating in Chile.

Reports have suggested that total investment in the project could be as high as US$550 million.

Like Australia, Chile is a major trading partner with China, and it is believed the cable will make Chile a major data hub between South America and the Asia Pacific region.

An operator for the Humboldt cable project has not be named as yet.