Key facts
- NEC will design and construct Meta Platforms' Petal undersea cable.
- The project aims to create the world's first petabit-class underwater connection.
- The cable will link the U.S. and France.
- The initiative is driven by the boom in artificial intelligence.
Japanese technology group NEC is partnering with Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, to lay a subsea fiber-optic cable connecting the U.S. and France. The project, known as the Petal undersea cable, aims to establish the world's first petabit-class underwater connection. NEC will be responsible for the design and construction of the cable. This initiative is being undertaken amid a surge in demand for high-speed data transmission, largely driven by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence.