The demand for internet data is growing as file sizes increase and users seek faster speeds. With the need for high-speed internet expected to rise further to support artificial intelligence (AI) agent systems, Meta has announced "Petal"—the world’s first subsea cable project with a capacity of 1 petabyte per second.
This capacity is double that of current subsea cables. Petal could support the streaming needs of 75% of the global population simultaneously, or handle the simultaneous streaming of 30,000 movies (at 4GB each).
Petal’s high capacity is achieved by integrating two fiber-optic cores into a single cable. This boosts data capacity while simultaneously reducing the total number of cables that need to be laid on the seabed.
Spanning 7,000 kilometers, Petal will connect the United States with France. It is expected to be completed by 2029.
