A new data transfer record using a single strand of a fiber optic cable has been set at 1.53 petabits. A petabit is 1,000 terabits (although it’s not clear whether they used decimal or binary, which would make it a pebibit). To put this into perspective, the latest study by TeleGeography, an international telecommunications consulting company, estimates that total internet traffic for 2022 averages at 997Tbps, under one petabit, so you could run the entire global internet down one 0.125mm fiber.
The feat was achieved by a team at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology in Japan. They used light in 55 specific frequencies, a process known as multiflexing. It’s not the fastest data transfer (1.84 petabits on an experimental optical chip), but it used standard fiber, so the existing infrastructure could be upgraded.