Meta has announced plans for Project Waterworth, a 50,000-kilometre subsea cable (longer than the Earth’s circumference) project spanning five continents. Once completed, it will be the world’s longest underwater cable project, aiming to enhance global connectivity and support emerging technologies.

In a blog post, the company stated that Project Waterworth will ‘enable greater economic cooperation, facilitate digital inclusion, and open opportunities for technological development in these regions.

Subsea cables play a critical role in global digital infrastructure, transmitting over 95% of intercontinental internet traffic. These cables are essential for digital communications, video streaming, and online transactions.

As well as being a multi-billion-dollar, multi-year investment to improve the reliability and capacity of global digital networks, Project Waterworth will also introduce three new oceanic corridors designed to ‘support high-speed connectivity and drive AI innovation worldwide.’

This isn’t Meta’s first foray into subsea infrastructure, having developed more than 20 cable systems in the past, including an extended version of its ‘2Africa’ network which was the previous record holder, at 45,000km.

Notably, Project Waterworth will feature a 24-fiber pair system, providing significantly higher capacity than traditional systems, which typically have between eight and 16 fiber pairs.

According to Meta, advancements in engineering design will support cable resilience and enable faster deployment. The network will be laid at depths of up to 7,000 meters and will include enhanced burial techniques in shallow coastal waters to protect against hazards such as ship anchors. The project will maximize deep-water routing to reduce risks in high-fault zones.

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Meta highlighted the critical relationship between subsea infrastructure and the expansion of AI technologies. As AI continues to transform industries, reliable and scalable digital infrastructure is essential to support data transmission and connectivity. According to Meta, Project Waterworth will help ensure that the benefits of emerging technologies, such as AI, reach users worldwide.

The project follows Meta’s previous large-scale subsea cable investments, including the 2Africa cable system. At 45,000 kilometres, 2Africa was the world’s longest subsea cable until the announcement of Project Waterworth.