Europe Petabit-Class Subsea Cable 2029
Key Questions
What is the IOEMA-1 cable project?
IOEMA-1 is Europe's planned petabit-class submarine cable featuring 24 fiber pairs and targeted for a 2029 launch. It aims to deliver the first petabit-per-second capacity using spatial division multiplexing and C+L band technology amid rising AI data demands.
Which projects are competing to build the first petabit submarine cable?
Europe's IOEMA-1 is racing Meta's Waterworth cable, spanning 50,000 km, and Japan's multicore fiber trials. Feasibility studies and vendor selection for IOEMA-1 remain ongoing as part of this global competition.
Why is there urgency to develop petabit-class subsea cables?
The push is driven by surging AI capacity requirements that exceed current submarine cable limits. Key enabling technologies include spatial division multiplexing and expanded C+L band transmission to achieve petabit speeds.
Europe IOEMA-1 (24 fiber pairs, 2029) races Meta Waterworth (50,000 km) and Japan multicore fiber trials for first petabit submarine cable. Spatial division multiplexing and C+L band tech key; feasibility and vendor selection ongoing amid AI capacity demand.