Microsoft confirmed this week that its Azure cloud services were disrupted after undersea cables in the Red Sea were cut, affecting internet traffic in Asia and the Middle East. While the company rerouted traffic through alternate paths, users still experienced delays, reminding us just how dependent the world is on these fragile data highways.

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More than 95% of global internet traffic flows through undersea cables, and each disruption whether caused by ship anchors, natural events, or sabotage can ripple across global businesses, governments, and personal communications. The Red Sea has become a hotspot of concern, with multiple cable incidents in the past two years tied to geopolitical tensions.

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How do we protect this critical infrastructure?

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Artificial intelligence could provide part of the answer.

With predictive modeling, AI systems could analyze global shipping routes, weather patterns, and geopolitical activity to flag high-risk areas for potential damage. Real-time monitoring algorithms could detect unusual fluctuations in data traffic that may signal a cut, enabling faster investigation and response. AI-driven network management could also autonomously reroute traffic through alternative cables or satellite links before users experience major disruptions.

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This proactive, data-driven approach could transform cable protection from a reactive process into a predictive shield.

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As demand for cloud computing accelerates, especially with AI workloads themselves consuming massive bandwidth, ensuring stable, resilient internet infrastructure will be as critical as building new AI models. Ironically, AI may be the very technology that keeps itself and the world online.