Japanese Researchers Break World Record in Long-Distance Data Transmission

A Japanese research team from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has set a new world record for long-distance data transmission. They achieved a speed of 1.02 petabits per second over a distance of 1,808 kilometers using a single optical fiber cable. This surpasses the previous record of 1.71 exabit-seconds per kilometer, marking a significant advancement in data transmission capacity and distance.

The experiment utilized a 19-core optical fiber, which has the same diameter (0.125mm) as standard cables but contains 19 light paths, or cores, instead of the single core found in traditional long-distance fibers. This allows it to carry the equivalent of 19 standard cables’ worth of data.

NICT stated that this breakthrough is a crucial step toward building scalable, high-capacity networks to meet the growing global demand for data. As data usage continues to surge, driven partly by the rise of AI, such technology could support future needs for high-capacity infrastructure, like connections between data centers or international networks.

The communication industry follows “Nielsen’s Law,” which suggests that high-end users’ internet speeds increase by about 50% annually. Although this growth has slowed recently, current 1Gbps connections could become 10Gbps or faster within a decade. This record-breaking technology could play a key role in meeting those future demands.