Meta Launches Project Waterworth: World’s Longest Subsea Cable to Enhance Global Connectivity

Meta has unveiled its most ambitious subsea cable project, Project Waterworth, a multi-billion-dollar initiative set to span over 50,000 km, surpassing Earth's circumference. Upon completion, it will become the world’s longest subsea cable and use the highest-capacity technology to significantly boost global connectivity. Project Waterworth will connect five continents, including the US, India, Brazil, and South Africa, marking a significant upgrade to the digital infrastructure of these regions. Meta has emphasized that the project will facilitate economic cooperation, digital inclusion, and open doors to technological development. For India, where digital growth is rapidly progressing, Project Waterworth is expected to accelerate the country’s digital economy plans, providing vital support to its ambitious digital infrastructure goals.

Subsea cables carry over 95% of intercontinental internet traffic, and Meta has been a leading innovator in this field, having developed over 20 subsea cables in the last decade. Project Waterworth will further advance engineering design, introducing three new oceanic corridors, employing state-of-the-art routing techniques, and using advanced burial methods to ensure cable resilience. With a 24-fiber pair setup, it will be the world’s longest subsea cable project. Meta also aims to prevent damage from ship anchors and other hazards by using deep-water burial techniques at depths of up to 7,000 meters. This groundbreaking project highlights Meta's ongoing efforts to improve and expand global internet infrastructure, advancing technological progress across continents.

Meta Invests in Humanoid Robots, Forming New Team Under Reality Labs

Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, has started making significant investments in the humanoid robotics field, forming a new team within its Reality Labs hardware division to develop these technologies. According to a Bloomberg report, the company is initially focusing on creating humanoid robots designed for household chores. In the long run, Meta plans to develop the underlying AI, sensors, and software for robots, which will then be manufactured and sold by a variety of companies.

Meta confirmed the formation of this new robotics team on Friday, led by March Whitten, who recently stepped down as the CEO of General Motors. Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, outlined in an internal memo that the company’s ongoing investments in Reality Labs and AI technologies are complementary to the development of robotics. He emphasized that expanding its focus into this field would add value to Meta's AI and augmented and mixed reality programs.

Bosworth also highlighted Meta's progress in hand tracking, low-bandwidth computing, and always-on sensors, which are key components of robotics technology. Meta executives are reportedly aiming to position the company as a central player in the humanoid robotics market, much like Google's Android OS and Qualcomm's chips dominate the smartphone industry. By developing the software, sensors, and computing packages required for humanoid robots, Meta hopes to lay the foundation for the wider robotics market.

Meta has already invested billions into its Reality Labs division, responsible for products like the Quest VR headset and Ray-Ban smart glasses. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has committed an additional $65 billion towards AI infrastructure by 2025.

Meta’s humanoid robot development, while still a few years away, will put it in direct competition with Elon Musk’s Tesla Optimus robot. Musk frequently shares updates on the Optimus robot, which he envisions will eventually be sold for around $30,000. Tesla plans to introduce over 1,000 Optimus robots into its manufacturing lines by next year, a move Musk believes will boost Tesla’s operational efficiency and help propel the company toward a $25 trillion valuation.

References

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• Moon, E. (2025, February 6). 5 AI Trends Shaping the future of Public Sector in 2025. Google Cloud Blog. https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/public-sector/5-ai-trends-shaping-the-future-of-the-public-sector-in-2025
• Nagarajan, G., & Aimé, A. (2025, February 14). Unlocking global AI potential with next-generation subsea infrastructure. Engineering at Meta. https://engineering.fb.com/2025/02/14/connectivity/project-waterworth-ai-subsea-infrastructure/
• Qualcomm and Google announce collaboration to extend Android OS. (n.d.). https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2020/12/qualcomm-and-google-announce-collaboration-extend-android-os-support-an