KT, KISTI Launch Korea-U.S. 400Gbps Research Network to Support Data-Intensive R&D

KT and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) have jointly inaugurated Korea's inaugural 400Gbps international dedicated circuit, connecting the two countries to bolster the nation's global research network infrastructure. The new 400Gbps-capacity circuit links KISTI's headquarters in Daejeon with Chicago, a key hub for research networks in North America and Europe.

This expansion increases bandwidth on the Korea-U.S. segment from the previous 100Gbps to 400Gbps, enabling faster and more reliable transfers of large-scale datasets for researchers.

The enhanced capacity on the Korea-U.S. connection is a response to the burgeoning demand for high-volume data transfers, driven by data-intensive research in fields such as artificial intelligence, large-scale scientific computing, and astronomy. As research datasets rapidly expand from terabytes to even larger scales, high-capacity international networks have become an essential aspect of global research collaboration.

KT and KISTI collaborated to overcome technical hurdles associated with maintaining stable 400Gbps transmission over the lengthy Korea-U.S. route. Upon completing construction and stability tests across the submarine cable segment, the duo established an international link capable of supporting authentic research workloads.

The upgraded network is expected to expedite the transfer of extensive research datasets, bolster KREONET's global connectivity, and foster international collaboration in AI, advanced science, and interdisciplinary research. Additionally, KT is leveraging its extensive international network infrastructure to bolster the research network's resilience.

The telecom giant operates five submarine cable systems – APG, APCN-2, NCP, TPE, and KJCN – spanning Asia and North America. For the KREONET connection, KT augmented the NCP submarine cable's capacity, which directly links Korea and the United States. By diminishing the number of intermediate transit points, KT aims to minimize latency and potential routing concerns on the international segment.

KT also operates landing stations in Busan and Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, employing a diversified infrastructure configuration to enable international traffic rerouting if issues arise on a specific network segment.

As global data traffic surges in tandem with the widespread adoption of AI and other digital technologies, reliable international connectivity is becoming increasingly crucial for research institutions. With research collaboration frequently involving the real-time exchange of massive datasets, KT has pledged to further expand its international network capacity to meet the escalating demand for global data connectivity.

KT affirmed its commitment to investing in submarine cable capacity and diversifying international landing points, thereby providing research institutions and businesses with more dependable connectivity.