Bandwidth IG, a leading metro dark fiber provider, is set to reshape the fiber infrastructure landscape in the San Francisco Bay Area with its ambitious network expansion project. The company’s latest endeavor aims to deliver over 310 route miles and more than 2 million fiber miles to one of the largest data center markets globally.

The focal point of this groundbreaking expansion is the installation of the first marine cable laid under the San Francisco Bay in over two decades. This high-capacity fiber ring will connect key locations, including Great Oaks, Santa Clara, the East Bay, Peninsula and downtown San Francisco. By doing so, Bandwidth IG is creating the newest and highest capacity fiber ring in the Bay Area, responding to the unprecedented demand for data center space and power.

“With unprecedented demand for data center space and power, providing the San Francisco Bay Area with new purpose-built, mission-critical infrastructure becomes a market necessity,” said Patton Lochridge, Chief Commercial Officer for Bandwidth IG. “Dark fiber is the foundation of data transmission but many incumbent networks in the Bay Area lack capacity or are not capable of meeting the needs of the world’s largest consumers of data. By continuing our focus on new fiber infrastructure, we’re creating a path for connectivity in critical areas of the market that will allow hyperscalers and data centers to fully leverage AI and other society-changing technologies.”

The Silicon Valley data center market remains a top North American market, with cloud and AI driving demand. Bandwidth IG’s expansion addresses this demand by not only providing added capacity but also strategically placing networks to offer the most direct routes, thereby reducing latency.

Bandwidth IG’s San Francisco Bay Area network will be on net to more than 65 data centers, reaching an additional 10 facilities upon completion of the expansion, which is slated for completion by Q2 2024.

Read the full release here.