New undersea cable cutter risks Internet’s backbone

A Chinese research vessel has successfully tested a device capable of severing submarine cables at depths of up to 3,500 meters, a demonstration that sharpens already elevated concerns about the physical security of global internet infrastructure. The trial was conducted aboard the Haiyang Dizhi 2 during a deep-sea science expedition, as reported by the South China Morning Post citing China Science Daily, an official publication of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Haiyang Dizhi 2 carries a 150-ton crane, a 10-kilometer fiber optic winch, a helicopter landing platform, and a demonstrated capacity to deploy deep-sea remotely operated vehicles. China Science Daily described the trial as bridging the "last mile" between deep-sea equipment development and engineering application, signaling the technology has crossed from experimental to operationally deployable. The test arrives against a backdrop of suspected sabotage targeting undersea cables and power lines across the Baltic Sea and Pacific Ocean. Submarine cables carry the overwhelming share of international data traffic, making them a high-consequence chokepoint; deliberate cuts at 3,500-meter depths would significantly complicate detection, attribution, and repair.