Tech giant Meta is set to ‘to build the longest 24 fibre pair cable project in the world’ reaching five continents and spanning over 50, 000km in a bid to get an edge in the ongoing AI race.

Meta’s products, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, are used by billions of people across the world. They collectively account for 22% of mobile and 10% of fixed traffic globally, making the company one of the biggest sources of internet traffic. While it is already part owner of more than a dozen undersea networks, Project Waterworth would be the first time it has gone it alone and would give the company an edge in AI innovation.

“As AI continues to transform industries and societies around the world, it’s clear that capacity, resilience, and global reach are more important than ever to support leading infrastructure,” the company said in a statement.

The project will connect South Africa, the US, India, Brazil and other regions. In addition to the economic and technological reasons, the choice of route is also driven by geopolitical considerations. It avoids regions prone to disruptions, which has become a significant consideration after several cables connecting Africa to the world, such as those in the Red Sea, and several in Europe and the Baltic Sea were damaged in recent times.

Undersea fiber optic cables currently carry the bulk, estimated at 95%, of the world’s data. While critical to global infrastructure, only a few specialised companies are involved in laying new cables and repairing existing ones. This means that Meta will have to join a long wait list for the specialised technology and skills needed to complete the project.