Midgard Infra Expanded Nordic Subsea Connectivity
The firm has begun marine surveys for its new Verena cable system and appointed a new executive lead.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Data Centers
Live Poll
Is the expansion of data infrastructure in your area a positive trend for your local community?
Midgard Infra, the joint venture between Lyse and HitecVision, has initiated marine surveys for the upcoming Verena subsea cable system. The company also announced the appointment of Chris Kelly as Vice President for neoclouds to support its infrastructure strategy.
Why it matters
The expansion efforts are driven by the need to support surging hyperscale data center traffic and the rapid growth of AI-related workloads across the Nordic region. By scaling its subsea and terrestrial networks, the firm aims to meet increasing connectivity demands between key European hubs.
The Verena subsea cable will span 630km and provide 512Tbps of total capacity upon completion. This follows the existing Skagenfiber West system, which delivers 48 fibre pairs with a 1.7ms round-trip delay over its 170km length.
The players
Midgard Infra
This is a 50/50 joint venture between Lyse and HitecVision that operates as a Nordic carrier and infrastructure provider.
Chris Kelly
He was recently appointed as the Vice President for neoclouds to oversee the expansion of the company's cloud-focused infrastructure.
The details
Midgard Infra, formerly known as Altibox Carrier, leverages a buy-and-build strategy to consolidate the Nordic carrier market. The company utilizes Lyse’s existing 30,000km terrestrial network to provide local connectivity reach across its operational footprint.
Timeline
Marine surveys for the Verena system were underway as of October 6, 2026.
The Verena subsea cable system is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2028.
The Tech Race
This infrastructure push mirrors the broader industry trend of building dedicated subsea routes to handle concentrated hyperscale data traffic. The initiative reflects a shift from legacy carrier operations toward specialized high-capacity paths designed specifically for AI and cloud computing workloads.
The expansion of these high-capacity routes aims to reduce latency and improve data throughput for users and developers relying on Nordic cloud infrastructure. By increasing network bandwidth, these projects help ensure that digital services can maintain stability as AI-driven traffic volumes continue to rise.
The takeaway
Reliable high-capacity connectivity is becoming a foundational requirement for modern AI and cloud services. Companies that successfully scale their physical network footprints remain better positioned to meet the escalating data demands of the global digital economy.
What happens next
The Verena subsea cable system, which will link Scarborough and Esbjerg, is expected to become operational in the fourth quarter of 2028.
Further reading
Learn more about the infrastructure behind cloud growth in our Data Centers section.
Live Poll
Is the expansion of data infrastructure in your area a positive trend for your local community?
