Submarine cables, both for data and power transmission, constitute the hidden backbone of digital and energy interconnectivity. As global infrastructures, they link continents, economies, and political regions, yet their routes, ownership structures, and strategic significance often remain opaque. On October 2, 2025, the critical infrastructure lab and Milan Babić organised a Submarine Cable Workshop at the University of Amsterdam to develop a shared research agenda on submarine cables.
During this one-day event, practitioners and researchers presented their work, shared insights, and openly discussed the challenges of studying submarine cables. Together, we reflected on the availability and accessibility of data and identified possible next steps. This report provides an overview of what was discussed and what we took away from these conversations. In this report, we use the term submarine cables to refer to internet connectivity cables that traverse oceans and lakes.
Building a Shared Research Agenda on Submarine Cables by Fieke Jansen, Niels ten Oever, Dmitry Kuznetsov, Valentina Ochner, & Jane Ruffino. critical infrastructure lab document series CIL#014. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19368835
Pathways through the Polycrisis: Proceedings of the critical infrastructure lab retreat critical infrastructure lab document series CIL#012, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17417380
Standardisation with Chinese Characteristics by Ferreira Gomes, Okano-Heijmans, Sainato, ten Oever, and Lüdtke
Critical Internet Governance: From Positions to a Field by critical infrastructure lab and Research Network on Internet Governance (REDE) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15627726
Putting Money Where Your Mouth Is? Insights into EU R&I Funding for Digital Technologies by Zuzanna Warso & Meret Baumgartner https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15263223
Down with Data Centres: Developing Critical Policy – report on a workshop organised at Privacy Camp 2024 by University of Delft and the critical infrastructure lab, Fieke Jansen & Corinne Cath, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11059837
Shifting terrain: “Standards, Protocols, Ecosystem” — Report on a round-table discussion Maxigas and Alek Tarkowski, funded by the ford foundation and DIGI at new america, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10155807 november 2023
building a relational infrastructure; the launch of the critical infrastructure lab, fieke jansen, niels ten oever, maxigas, et al
loud men talking loudly report on exclusionary cultures of internet governance, corinne cath, funded by the ford foundation
thinking infrastructurally about open source software thomas streinz, funded by the ford foundation
human rights are not a bug: upgrading governance for an equitable internet report about the governance of the internet infrastructure, funded by the ford foundation