Japan Shatters Internet Speed Record: 1 Million GB/s Over 1,100 Miles

Imagine a future where downloading massive files takes mere fractions of a second. Japanese researchers have made that future a giant leap closer to reality, achieving a groundbreaking internet speed of 1.02 petabits per second (that’s 1 million GB/s!) over a distance of 1,808 kilometers (approximately 1,118 miles). This remarkable feat promises to revolutionize data transmission and pave the way for bandwidth-hungry technologies like AI, VR, and the Internet of Things.

The Need for Speed: Overcoming Data Bottlenecks

As emerging technologies demand ever-increasing data transfer rates, existing infrastructure struggles to keep pace. This new development addresses this challenge head-on, offering a solution to the impending data traffic surge expected with the proliferation of AI, 6G networks, and the ever-expanding IoT landscape.

The Science Behind the Breakthrough

The secret to this unprecedented speed lies in a specially designed optical fiber. Researchers utilized a 19-core fiber, essentially creating a “superhighway” within a cable of standard dimensions (0.125 mm thick). Each core independently transmits data, multiplying the overall capacity.

Long-distance data transmission presents unique hurdles, primarily signal degradation. To combat this, the team developed a sophisticated amplification system that simultaneously boosts signals across all 19 cores within two different light bands (C-band and L-band) without causing interference.

The team simulated the 1,808-kilometer distance by circulating signals through 19 loops (one for each core) 21 times. A 19-channel receiver and a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) processor then cleaned and decoded the signals, achieving the record-breaking 1.02 petabits per second.

Implications for the Future

This achievement represents a significant advancement in optical fiber technology. While 19-core fibers have been tested before, this is the first time such a fiber has achieved such a high data rate over such a long distance. The groundbreaking research demonstrates the feasibility of building ultra-high-speed networks without altering the physical size of existing infrastructure, making deployment more practical and cost-effective.

As we move towards a future dominated by data-intensive applications like self-driving cars, AI assistants, and immersive VR experiences, this technology offers a pathway to building the robust communication networks necessary to support these innovations.

The research findings were presented at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC 2025).