Chinese researchers set record with 3.2Pb/s optical fiber transmission
A research team led by the China Information Communication Technologies Group has achieved a record-breaking 3.2 petabits per second transmission rate using multi-core fiber optics.
A collaborative team from the China Information Communication Technologies Group (CICT), Peng Cheng Laboratory, and FiberHome Fujikura successfully tested a 3.2Pb/s bidirectional real-time transmission over a 10.3-kilometer 24-core fiber optic link. This achievement sets a global record for single-fiber bidirectional transmission capacity.
The experiment utilized a 24-core architecture combined with S+C+L multi-band multiplexing and space-division multiplexing to create thousands of parallel transmission channels. By employing high-order probabilistic shaping modulation, the team bypassed the capacity limitations currently faced by standard single-mode optical fibers, which typically cap out at approximately 100Tb/s.
According to CICT senior engineer Yang Chao, the technology addresses the growing demand for data transmission capacity fueled by artificial intelligence and large-scale data center infrastructure. The system demonstrates a 32-fold increase in capacity compared to traditional single-core fibers, providing a potential path for future 6G networks and backbone infrastructure.
The technical findings have been submitted to the Journal of Lightwave Technology. The research emphasizes the industrial viability of multi-core fiber solutions as existing single-mode fiber systems approach their physical signal limits.