# Petal petabit submarine cable project > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/petal-petabit-submarine-cable-project > Updated: 2026-09-23T22:43:58.000Z. Sources: 15. Developments: 2. Meta, NEC, and Sumitomo Electric have announced a collaboration to develop ‘Petal’, a transatlantic optical submarine cable system designed to provide 1 petabit per second (Pbps) of capacity. Spanning approximately 7,000 km, the project will connect the United States and France, with operations expected to begin in 2029. The system utilizes advanced multi-core fiber technology to double transmission capacity compared to current leading transoceanic lines. NEC, which holds roughly 25% of the global submarine cable market, noted that the industry is shifting toward multi-core fiber technology as traditional methods approach capacity limits. The project aims to address rising global data demands driven by artificial intelligence and digital services. To support future growth, NEC indicated plans to transition from chartering vessels to owning its own cable-laying fleet. The company also highlighted industry-wide challenges regarding cable security, specifically the risk of intentional cable cutting in conflict zones. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-23: NEC enters petabit era with new submarine cable technology NEC announces its ‘Petal’ optical submarine cable system to enter the petabit-scale era, aiming to meet rising global demand for high-capacity data transmission driven by AI and cloud services. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nec-enters-petabit-era-with-new-submarine-cable-technology ### 2026-09-21: Meta, NEC, and Sumitomo to build Petal petabit submarine cable Meta, NEC, and Sumitomo Electric are collaborating to build Petal, the first petabit-capacity transatlantic submarine cable connecting the US and France by 2029. 13 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/meta-announces-petal-a-petabit-capacity-subsea-cable-between-us-and-france --- Cite as: Petal petabit submarine cable project. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/petal-petabit-submarine-cable-project