Meta Plans World’s Longest Subsea Cable

Meta has announced Project Waterworth: a plan to build the world’s longest subsea cable. The cable system will reach five continents and span over 50,000 kilometers (longer than the Earth’s circumference).

The company says the project will bring industry-leading connectivity to the U.S., India, Brazil, South Africa, and other key regions. “This project will enable greater economic cooperation, facilitate digital inclusion, and open opportunities for technological development in these regions. For example, in India, where we’ve already seen significant growth and investment in digital infrastructure, Waterworth will help accelerate this progress and support the country’s ambitious plans for its digital economy.”

Project Waterworth will be a multi-billion-dollar, multi-year investment to strengthen the scale and reliability of the world’s digital highways by opening three new oceanic corridors with the abundant, high speed connectivity needed to drive AI innovation around the world, says Meta.

With Project Waterworth, the company will build the longest 24 fiber pair cable project in the world and will deploy first-of-its-kind routing, maximizing the cable laid in deep water — at depths up to 7,000 meters — and using enhanced burial techniques in high-risk fault areas, such as shallow waters near the coast, to avoid damage from ship anchors and other hazards.

“As AI continues to transform industries and societies around the world, it’s clear that capacity, resilience, and global reach are more important than ever to support leading infrastructure. With Project Waterworth we can help ensure that the benefits of AI and other emerging technologies are available to everyone, regardless of where they live or work.”