Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology researchers pushed optical networking to its limits.
They successfully transmitted data at a blistering 1.02 petabits per second, a breakthrough speed equivalent to transferring Netflix-quality content or entire encyclopedias in under a second. The test covered nearly 1,800 km, showcasing raw capacity and long-haul viability.
A pioneering 19-core optical fibre, no thicker than typical single-core cables, enabled this achievement. Multiple wavelength bands were combined and amplified 21 times to ensure signal integrity across the distance.
However, this feat doubles last year's record and retains compatibility with existing fibre infrastructure.
Beyond breaking records, the project signals that future networks could support the massive bandwidth demands of AI, 8K streaming, cloud computing and even 6G.
By demonstrating that modern infrastructure can handle this scale, the researchers hope to accelerate deployment in undersea cables, national backbones, and data centres.
