300 million US dollars to save 6 milliseconds

In the world of high-frequency trading, ping time to the server is of particular importance. Here, every millisecond is worth its weight in gold, and even more expensive. Another evidence of this is the Hibernia Atlantic megaproject on cable laying across the Atlantic Ocean (the contractor is Global Marine Systems ). The cost of the project is more than $ 300 million. The investment will pay off with interest, because at the expense of the shorter route this cable will allow Hibernia Atlantic customers to make deals on the stock market overseas by 6 milliseconds faster than competitors.

The Hibernian Express fiber-optic cable with a length of 6021 km will connect London and New York. The route for laying was calculated 18 months, taking into account the seabed topography and saving every kilometer. New channel plan to connect in 2013.

The current leader in the market for high-frequency trading channels, the company Global Crossing, provides 65 ms ping on the transatlantic channel AC-1. In the new Hibernian Express, this figure will be reduced to 59 ms. According to preliminary estimates, customers are willing to pay for the rental of the Hibernian Express band 50 times more than for AC-1.
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PS The last time fiber was laid across the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean during the dot-com boom in the late 90s.

via The Telegraph