Contributed Article
by Aldert de Jongste, strategic advisor at ECP
The Netherlands is seeing renewed subsea cable exercise. Since January, IOEMA B.V. has established itself within the Netherlands, bringing a brand new submarine cable firm into the Dutch digital infrastructure ecosystem. Its deliberate 1,600-kilometre fibre-optic system is designed to attach 5 Northern European markets and is predicted to return ashore at each Eemshaven and close to Scheveningen/The Hague, with Greenhouse Datacenters chosen as a further Dutch touchdown accomplice alongside Eurofiber. This displays renewed curiosity within the Netherlands as a location for next-generation digital infrastructure.
For the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition*, developments like these underline precisely why worldwide collaboration and sensible assist for brand new cable landings matter. Common guests to Submarine Networks EMEA might have come throughout the coalition, both at our stand or in conversations all through the occasion. The coalition brings collectively firms, public organisations and information establishments within the Netherlands with a shared objective: strengthening the nation’s place as a digital hub by supporting and attracting new subsea cable landings. On this article, we spotlight a number of latest developments within the Netherlands which might be related to the worldwide subsea cable group. Extra details about the coalition and the way we work will be discovered on the finish of the article.
Sustaining a number one digital hub
For a few years, the Netherlands has been acknowledged as one of many world’s main digital infrastructure hubs. Its early funding in connectivity, web exchanges and knowledge centres helped create a dense, hyperconnected, and internationally aggressive digital ecosystem.
However this success additionally introduced new challenges. As a result of Netherlands’ early growth as a digital infrastructure hub and its excessive density of information facilities, the nation was among the many first to face constraints associated to energy availability and bodily house for brand new digital infrastructure. Members of our coalition nonetheless recall a TeleGeography presentation in 2019 through which the Netherlands was described as “closed for enterprise” for brand new digital infrastructure. It was a pointy characterization of the rising strain round energy availability, house and allowing on the time.
At present, these points are not distinctive to the Netherlands: energy availability, grid congestion and spatial constraints have turn into defining challenges for digital infrastructure markets world wide. Within the Netherlands, they’ve additionally contributed to renewed political concentrate on digital infrastructure. Following the innovation and funding agenda developed underneath the
management of former ASML CEO Peter Wennink, digital infrastructure has now been explicitly acknowledged as a political precedence.
The Netherlands additionally continues to indicate robust fundamentals. In TeleGeography’s connectivity rating, the nation scores strongly on the metric of “energy”, outperforming a number of different main digital hubs. The massive-scale growth of offshore wind within the North Sea additional underlines the nation’s long-term ambition. Whereas these investments is not going to clear up right now’s energy constraints in a single day, they do strengthen the longer-term outlook for a cleaner and extra resilient power base for digital infrastructure.
Collectively, these components – a powerful current ecosystem, renewed political consideration and long-term funding in power infrastructure – have gotten seen in concrete developments throughout the Dutch digital infrastructure panorama.
Rising demand and new cable initiatives
One instance is the continued demand for large-scale digital infrastructure, mirrored in not too long ago granted permits for seven hyperscale knowledge facilities and the awarding of funding for an AI Manufacturing unit within the northern a part of the Netherlands. This AI Manufacturing unit, centered round an AI supercomputer and related to the EuroHPC ecosystem, will present entry for each the personal sector and academia to experiment with, practice and develop AI purposes. Its open-access strategy is predicted to additional strengthen the Dutch digital ecosystem.
IOEMA and new routes by means of the North Sea
As talked about earlier, IOEMA is one instance of renewed subsea cable exercise within the Netherlands. The deliberate system would add a brand new North Sea route connecting the Netherlands with Germany, the UK, Denmark and Norway, strengthening route variety in Northern Europe. Its deliberate Dutch landings at Eemshaven and close to Scheveningen/The Hague are each near main web change ecosystems, with NL-IX and AMS-IX each listed among the many world’s ten largest web exchanges.
IOEMA Holding additionally consists of PACS Southern Route, an entity concerned within the Pan-Arctic Cable System, which goals to attach Europe and Asia through a northern route quite than by means of the Center East. Each initiatives align with areas recognized by the European Fee in its Submarine Cable Safety Toolkit and Cable Initiatives of European Curiosity framework. This matches inside a broader European context through which subsea cable safety, route variety and resilience have moved greater on the coverage agenda.
Making Dutch cable touchdown simpler to navigate
In parallel, the coalition is working to make cable landings on the Dutch coast simpler to navigate by figuring out most popular touchdown areas. For these areas, we’re gathering survey knowledge, data on obtainable energy infrastructure and backhaul companions, and potential seabed routes. That is executed in session with related authorities organizations, making an allowance for the numerous competing makes use of of the busy North Sea.
Taken collectively, these developments underline the Netherlands’ continued relevance to Europe’s digital infrastructure. With a powerful ecosystem, renewed political consideration, rising demand for AI and cloud infrastructure, most popular touchdown areas and initiatives reminiscent of IOEMA, the nation is properly positioned to assist the following technology of subsea cable programs. At Submarine Networks EMEA, the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition appears to be like ahead to discussing these alternatives with companions throughout the worldwide subsea group.
Meet the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition at Submarine Networks EMEA 2026
Representatives of the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition, together with ambassador Martin Prins and coalition strategist Aldert de Jongste, can be current at Submarine Networks EMEA in London this Might. Along with different coalition members, they sit up for connecting with the worldwide subsea cable group and discussing the alternatives the Netherlands can provide for future cable landings.
Go to us at stand 13 to be taught extra about latest Dutch developments, most popular touchdown areas and the sensible assist obtainable for events exploring new routes to the Netherlands.
Aldert de Jongste is a political scientist, goldsmith, and strategic advisor at ECP, a Netherlands-based basis that brings collectively private and non-private stakeholders across the accountable growth of the digital society. At ECP, he works on points on the intersection of digitalisation, infrastructure, the financial system and societal values. Via the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition, Aldert is dedicated to strengthening the Netherlands’ place as a digital hub and to positioning subsea cables as important infrastructure for the financial system, innovation, safety and digital autonomy.
The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition: One central level of contact
The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition is a public-private partnership that brings collectively firms, infrastructure suppliers, knowledge centre operators, wholesale finish customers, information establishments and completely different ranges of presidency. Its shared objective is to strengthen the Netherlands’ place as a digital hub by supporting and attracting new subsea cable landings.
The coalition acts as a central level of contact for worldwide cable builders and traders exploring alternatives within the Netherlands. It helps new cable initiatives by sharing information concerning the Dutch digital ecosystem, connecting touchdown events with related stakeholders and serving to them navigate the regulatory and licensing panorama.
By combining private and non-private experience, the coalition goals to make the Dutch panorama extra accessible for events trying to land a subsea cable on the Dutch coast: from first orientation to a profitable touchdown.
Keep knowledgeable: Webinar on 29 October
The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition will host its annual webinar on 29 October, offering an replace on subsea cable landings and associated developments within the Netherlands. The session will spotlight the alternatives the Netherlands affords for brand new cable initiatives, in addition to the assist obtainable by means of the coalition. The complete program will observe quickly. You possibly can register right here.
*The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition is a collaboration of: AMS-IX, Digital Realty, Dutch Datacenter Affiliation (DDA), Equinix, Eurofiber, Fiber Service Affiliation (FCA), KPN, the Ministry of Financial Affairs, i3D.web,, Netherlands Overseas Funding Company (NFIA), NL-IX, Relined, Rijkswaterstaat, Stichting DiNL, SURF and WorldStream.
