News

Japan Sets New Record For Data Transmission Speed

The researchers have absolutely smashed their own previous achievement by transmitting data at a jaw-dropping 1.02 petabits per second.

Published

4 years ago

June 11, 2022

David Morelo

japan sets new record for data transmission speed

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A team of researchers from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan is at it again. After achieving a data transmission speed of 319 terabits per second (Tb/s) last year, the researchers have now absolutely smashed their own previous achievement by transmitting data at 1.02 petabits per second (Pb/s).

Since 1 petabits is 125,000 gigabytes, it means that the team could theoretically transmit more than 31,000 movies in 4K resolution every single second. To make the record even more impressive, it’s important to highlight that it was achieved using fiber-optic cables with four cores, which is exactly how many cores were used to set the previous record.

“NICT constructed the transmission system using 4-core MCF with standard 0.125 mm cladding diameter, WDM technology and mixed optical amplification systems. The system allowed a data transmission speed of 1.02 petabit per second over 51.7 km,” explained the researchers in the official press release.

data transmission chart

The mind-blowing record was first presented in May at the International Conference on Laser and Electro-Optics (CLEO) 2022 in San Jose, California, one of the largest international conferences related to optical devices and systems.

Also Read: Microsoft Blocks Lebanon-Based Hackers Targeting Israel

Moving forward, the NICT team wants to continue exploring different ways to transmit data faster across fiber optic cables. Their main focus is on low-core-count multi-core fibers with standard cladding diameter because such cables are comparable to standard single-mode fibers and thus more attractive for early adoption.

With dozens of countries around the world actively moving from 4G to 5G broadband cellular networks, the massive amount of data being sent and received is guaranteed to continue increasing at a rapid pace. Research projects such as the one behind the latest record can pave the way for new fibers capable of meeting the growing demand and supporting new bandwidth-hungry services.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.