Meta has launched an ambitious project named Project Waterworth, marking the most extensive subsea cable infrastructure in history. This massive undertaking will span over 50,000 kilometers, setting a new record as the longest subsea cable ever deployed globally. This project aims to connect five major continents, including North and South America, Asia, and Africa.
The primary goal of Project Waterworth is to enhance economic cooperation, foster digital inclusion, and stimulate technological development in these regions, with India poised to benefit significantly. This initiative aligns with India’s aspirations to accelerate its digital economy, a crucial step as the nation envisions a rapidly growing digital ecosystem.
Subsea cables are critical to sustaining our interconnected world. They carry over 95% of intercontinental internet traffic, enabling everyday activities like communication, video streaming, and cloud services. Understanding their significance sheds light on why they are frequently targeted for malicious activities.
Project Waterworth involves a multi-billion dollar investment and several years of development. Its aim is to create three new trans-oceanic corridors that will drive the AI innovation engine by offering abundant, high-speed connectivity worldwide. This is not Meta’s first venture into subsea cables. Over the past decade, the company has pioneered the installation of more than 20 such cables, often in collaboration with partners. Notably, Meta’s previous projects have utilized cables with 24 fiber pairs, surpassing the industry standard of 8 to 16 pairs, thus accommodating the burgeoning demands of global connectivity.
With Project Waterworth, Meta aims to break further ground in engineering innovations. This project will feature newly designed cables for enhanced resilience, especially crucial given the project’s scale and complexity. The cables will be laid in deep waters at depths reaching 7,000 meters to mitigate risks from environmental factors such as ship anchors. Enhanced burial techniques will be employed in fault zones to ensure cable longevity.
As AI becomes more integral to daily life, Meta argues that robust connectivity is essential. “AI is revolutionising every aspect of our lives, from how we interact with each other to how we think about infrastructure,” states Meta. Project Waterworth is expected to provide the necessary infrastructure for new AI technologies and ensure that the benefits of AI and similar technologies reach a broader audience.