BW now owns 100% of the shares of Hawaiki, with the transaction having received its applicable regulatory filings and approvals.
“We are delighted to have received clearance for our investment in Hawaiki and will now redouble efforts on our new cable projects," said Andreas Sohmen-Pao, chairman of BW Digital.
"These cables represent vital infrastructure for the deployment of technology in industry, research, and the digital economy. And they are enablers for social progress by connecting countries across the oceans, facilitating digital trade just as ships in the past enabled physical trade.”
In 2018, Hawaiki completed the Hawaiki Cable, a 15,000km subsea fibre optic cable system connecting Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, Hawaii and the west coast of the US.
BW Digital’s strategy includes a series of complementary projects focused on the Asia-Pacific region, including Hawaiki Nui, the first subsea cable to directly interconnect Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and the US, as well as Datagrid, a carbon-neutral hyperscale data centre, powered by 100% green energy and located in Invercargill on New Zealand’s South Island.
“Our team is looking forward to realizing this new chapter of the company’s history,” said Rémi Galasso (pictured), chief executive officer of BW Digital, and founder of Hawaiki.
“Capitalizing on Hawaiki’s existing assets, our strategy is to build an independent, carrier-neutral, digital infrastructure platform, that will respond to ever-growing market requirements for international connectivity and sustainable data storage.”
In addition, BW Digital is partnering with Chile’s state-owned infrastructure company, Desarrollo País, to develop the Humboldt cable system which will connect Sydney to Valparaiso, Chile.