“Waterworth”, goal project
Longer than Earth’s circumference: 50,000 kilometers long and 7 kilometers deep, data transmission structure will connect Brazil, USA, South Africa, India and “other regions”.
Meta, a parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, this Tuesday the plan to install the largest submarine cable in the world, which will connect the five continents for data transportation, including for the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The cable will have more than 50 thousand kilometers long and will connect the United States, South Africa, India, Brazil and “other regions”described the company, avoiding critical areas such as the Southern Sea of China.
Called “Waterworth“It will be the third and largest project of its kind carried out by the technology giant, which will be the sole owner of the channel.
On your blog, the goal states that it will install your cable system until 7000 meters deep and “use improved burial techniques in high -risk failure zones, such as poor waters near the coast, to avoid damage caused by ships and other dangers.”
The goal did not reveal the total amount of investment in the project, but indicated that it is “Several thousands of millions” of dollars. But the owner of Facebook stated that the cable project will provide “a abundant and high speed connectivity“Essential to boost innovation in artificial intelligence.
The “training” of new AI models may require rapid transport of large amounts of data to places where there are computing clusters worldwide, the same expert underlines.
“This project will allow greater economic cooperation, facilitate digital inclusion and open opportunities for technological development in these regions,” the company announced.
99% of communications are made by these cables
Global digital communication is anchored in a network of approximately 450 submarine cables, which together total 1.2 million kilometers of tubesaccording to a 2024 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
According to the center, this type infrastructures are responsible for about 99% of transoceanic digital communications and for $ 10 billion in daily financial transactions.
In recent years, large data -eager technological companies, such as the goal, entered this sector of submarine cables, which was previously exclusive domain of telecommunications operators.
“At one point, when growth is so large and the volume of demand surpasses that of other companies, it becomes more advantageous to invest directly, eliminating the intermediary,” AFP Alan Mauldin, director of research specialized in data, told AFP, told AFP, Telegeography. THE Google It is another company that has invested strongly in the area, with 16 submarine cable projects.
Each pipe consists of a beam of fiber optic cables protected by a armored coating that can be buried several meters below the sea bed for greater protection.
Why invest in its own cables?
Platforms want to enter the cable map not only to ensure direct connection between their global operations, but also to increase the resilience of their networks, according to Mauldin. “A single large cable and high capacity is not enough … it is necessary to have three or four, so that if one or two fail, it is possible to redirect traffic,” he explained.
Every year there are about 200 incidents that cause cable damage and could otherwise compromise vast areas of economic activity. These damage may originate from natural phenomena, such as submarine and tsunamis landslides, or in human actions such as the drag of ships or fishing equipment.
Cables can also be the target of Sabotage and Spying deliberate.
In January, NATO launched patrols in the Baltic Sea following suspicions of telecommunications and energy. European authorities warned of increasing hybrid threats from Russia.
Submarine cables are vulnerable to cuts and listening, which requires sophisticated equipment that few countries have. According to CSIS, it demonstrated it both capacity and the intention to reach critical underwater telecommunications infrastructures from NATO countries.
The planned route for the “Waterworth” project of the goal avoids geopolitical critical points, such as the Southern Sea of China, the target of disputes between Beijing and its neighbors, and the Red Sea.
