Europe races Meta and Japan to launch first Petabit-class submarine cable before 2030 as AI demand explodes

Date:
Sat, 23 May 2026 16:05:00 +0000

Description:
IOEMA-1 advances Northern European subsea cable development while Japan and Meta explore high-capacity systems for global internet expansion.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter IOEMA-1 connects five nations through a high-capacity subsea infrastructure network APTelecom partnership strengthens commercial strategy for Northern European cable deployment European Union classifies IOEMA-1 as a strategic digital infrastructure project European consortium IOEMA 1 Holding has announced a strategic partnership with advisory firm APTelecom to advance a petabit-class subsea cable system.

This planned 24-fiber-pair network spans roughly 1,600 kilometers across five Northern European nations, aiming to connect digital hubs in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The consortium expects this underwater cable system to become ready for service during the first quarter of 2029. Latest Videos From You may like Europe wants to dodge troublesome regions by building undersea cables beneath the Arctic China completes
testing on tool capable of slicing undersea cables Metas massive undersea cable project has been put on hold by regional hostilities 2Africa Pearls project suffers another setback Japan and Meta already have ambitious cable projects Japanese corporations NEC and NTT have already successfully trialled a revolutionary submarine cable technology using 12-core multicore fiber, which packs twelve optical signal transmission paths within a standard outer diameter optical fiber.

Existing submarine cables typically rely on single-core fiber with only one transmission path.

The Japanese team transmitted hundreds of terabits across a staggering distance of 7,280 kilometers, with a sophisticated algorithm solving the interference problem known as crosstalk between neighboring cores.

NEC developed a demodulation algorithm using MIMO technology to separate overlapping signals accurately, and NTT simultaneously created a coupled multicore fiber transmission line that manages signal delay non-uniformity. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Similarly, Meta is building subsea infrastructure across the globe to move information for billions of daily users.

The company employs submarine cable systems engineers who work end-to-end on these massive projects.

Their responsibilities span capacity planning, route design, ocean surveys, manufacturing oversight, and deployment strategy. What to read next These are the island nations most at risk from attacks on subsea cables How
wave-powered ocean platforms could meet AI data center energy demands Antimatter plans global AI network with 1,000 micro data centers by 2030

More than 95% of intercontinental internet traffic rides on subsea cable systems today, and reliability is not optional for a company operating at Meta's enormous scale.

The company is pursuing Project Waterworth , which would become the world's longest subsea cable system.

Each of these efforts faces different technical and financial hurdles on its own timeline.

The Japanese technology has been demonstrated successfully, but full commercial deployment remains unproven at scale, and European infrastructure projects often face regulatory delays that push target dates years beyond initial estimates.

Meta has not publicly committed to a specific completion date or petabit capacity for Waterworth.

The explosion of artificial intelligence demand for bandwidth is real and pressing for operators, however, submarine cables typically take five to
seven years from planning to actual operation underwater. Subsea cable development The European Union has recognized this cable as a project of European interest under its Connecting Europe Facility.

Partnering with APTelecom brings additional deep expertise and wide-ranging market access at an important juncture in IOEMAs development of our first cable system, IOEMA-1, said Andrew Parsons, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer of IOEMA.

APTelecom says it will contribute advisory expertise in carrier engagement, infrastructure strategy, and market strategy.

IOEMA-1 is a strategically important project that addresses the growing
demand for resilient, high-capacity connectivity across Northern Europe, said Sean Bergin, President of APTelecom.

We are excited to support the team in engaging the market and driving the project toward successful delivery.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/europe-races-meta-and-japan-to-launch-first-peta bit-class-submarine-cable-before-2030-as-ai-demand-explodes


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