Researchers set a real-time fiber record: 3.2 petabits per second over 10.3 kilometers

So Much Internet P0rn: Demand for data processing is surging, and traditional communication standards are no longer up to the job. Thanks to a novel engineering approach, a Chinese team is developing fiber-optic technology that might solve the data speed problem for a while, and then some.

A joint initiative by Chinese researchers and engineers has set a new record for real-time fiber-optic communications. The team sent 3.2 petabits per second (Pbps) through a single optical fiber, topping the 2.5 Pbps mark the same group set earlier this year. The figure reflects bidirectional transmission, with traffic flowing in both directions at once.

One petabit equals 1,000 terabits, which means a 3.2 Pbps connection could download more than 20,000 4K movies in a single second. The researchers said the feat means one fiber-optic cable could, in theory, serve the gigabit broadband needs of 3.2 million households.

The record comes from researchers at CICT's National Key Laboratory of Optical Communication Technologies and Networks, Peng Cheng Laboratory and FiberHome Fujikura. They reached 3.2 Pbps using a 24-core optical fiber over a distance of 10.3 km.

The optical signal was engineered to use thousands of parallel channels across three wavelength bands. The team relied on optical modules it developed in-house, aiming for real-time transfers that could meet current commercial standards.

Lab tests have previously reached much higher speeds on similar 24-core fiber setups, but those efforts depended on experimental equipment and signal-processing devices.

The researchers said petabit-level data channels may be essential to keeping the AI industry moving forward. Single-mode optical fibers are nearing their capacity limit as new AI data centers drive ever more traffic back and forth.

Beyond AI and data centers, the technology could benefit other high-performance connectivity scenarios, including linking massive computing centers and powering backbone networks for 6G wireless services. The work was selected for the 2026 Optical Fiber Communication Conference, and the researchers have been invited to publish their results in a scientific journal.

Finally, CICT noted that the record arrives in the year that marks the 50th anniversary of China's "practical" optical fiber infrastructure. In 1976, the country's research focused on "glass filaments" just 0.2 millimeters wide. Today, China is setting world-level records as it pursues full self-reliance in the IT business.