Microsoft Azure hit by latency after Red Sea fiber breaks
2 Min Read
Microsoft reported service slowdowns on its Azure cloud due to Red Sea cable cuts.
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The Microsoft logo at the company’s headquarters, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Redmond, Washington. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond, File)
Microsoft said on Saturday that customers of its Azure cloud platform are experiencing slower connections after several subsea fiber-optic cables in the Red Sea were severed. The disruption has affected traffic between Asia and Europe that usually passes through the Middle East, the company explained.
"Undersea fiber cuts can take time to repair, as such we will continuously monitor, rebalance, and optimize routing to reduce customer impact in the meantime. We'll continue to provide daily updates, or sooner if conditions change," Microsoft said in a service health notice.
The company has rerouted data through alternative paths to keep services online, though the detours are producing higher-than-usual latency. Azure is the world's second-largest cloud provider, behind Amazon Web Services.
Internet monitors reported that the outages have disrupted major cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, including the SMW4 and IMEWE lines, which carry a significant share of global connectivity between Europe and Asia. Experts warn that restoring undersea cables can take weeks, requiring specialized vessels and permissions to operate in Red Sea waters.
The Red Sea is considered one of the world's most critical digital chokepoints, with research firm TeleGeography estimating that more than 90 percent of internet traffic between Europe and Asia flows through this corridor.
Read more: US, UK behind criminal sabotage of undersea internet cables: Sanaa
Genocide Tech
This comes as Microsoft faces scrutiny over its complicity in Israeli war crimes, following revelations that its Azure platform has been used by Unit 8200, the Israeli military's surveillance arm, to store and process vast collections of intercepted Palestinian phone calls.
Investigations by The Guardian and partner outlets found that intelligence derived from this cloud-based archive has been used to prepare airstrikes in Gaza and justify mass arrests in the West Bank.
In response, Microsoft has launched two external reviews into its military contracts with "Israel," while employees have staged protests at the company's Redmond headquarters, demanding an end to Azure's role in genocide and apartheid.
