The test combined real research and synthetic data, transferred directly disk-to-disk. iStock Photos
Breaking barriers in speed and distance, Europe just witnessed a record-smashing 1.2 terabit-per-second quantum-safe data leap across 2,175 miles (3,500 kilometers).
This milestone was achieved by CSC – IT Center for Science, SURF, and Nokia, who successfully tested a high-capacity, quantum-safe fibre-optic connection between Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Kajaani, Finland. The trial demonstrated the potential of ultra-fast, cross-border connectivity for research.
The test combined real research and synthetic data, transferred directly disk-to-disk—from SURF’s Amsterdam facility to CSC’s data center in Kajaani—across five production research and education networks, including NORDUnet (Nordic backbone), Sunet (Sweden), SIKT (Norway), and Funet (CSC’s Finnish network).
The network solution leveraged Nokia’s IP/MPLS routing and quantum-safe optical gear. Nokia’s IP technology showcased Flexible Ethernet (FlexE) to handle “elephant flows”—very large, continuous streams of data—while its high-capacity optical transport demonstrated the ability to move massive HPC-generated datasets over long distances.
Long distance works
As research data grows exponentially, especially for training massive AI models, resilient, high-throughput, and secure connectivity is more vital than ever.
This test proves that multi-domain, high-capacity data transfers across European research networks are feasible and future-ready. Testing an operational long-distance network delivers critical insights into data transport and storage, laying the groundwork for improved infrastructure to support data-intensive research.
“We design research networks with future needs in mind,” said Jani Myyry, Senior Network Specialist at CSC in a release.
“CSC’s data center in Kajaani already hosts the pan-European LUMI supercomputer and with the upcoming LUMI-AI supercomputer and AI Factory coming online, reliable and scalable data connections throughout Europe are essential. Even though the geographical distance is significant, it poses no obstacle to data traffic.”
Scaling AI without border
The project’s success underscores how strategic cross-border partnerships can drive scientific progress. It also demonstrates the kind of robust digital backbone required to support AI factories and supercomputing clusters spread across continents.
CSC and SURF plan to align more closely with Europe’s supercomputing ambitions, including projects like GPT-nl and the use of LUMI for processing massive meteorological datasets hosted in the Netherlands. The infrastructure tested here could make such workflows seamless.
At SURF we are ready to take the next step in aligning the European supercomputers,” said Arno Bakker, Senior Network Specialist at SURF. “These efforts offer future perspectives to train GPT-nl on LUMI or for a researcher to compute on LUMI with very large datasets hosted at SURF, such as the KNMI (The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) datasets.”
The trial also demonstrates how future-ready infrastructure underpins the success of AI and high-performance computing.
“As the network prepares for the next wave of supercomputers and AI Factories, we are proud to deliver the quantum-safe, high-capacity, and resilient IP/MPLS and optical infrastructure that makes these systems viable. We look forward to continuing our support for global research and education networks, helping them scale with confidence and drive the next generation of discovery and innovation,” said Mikhail Lenko, Customer Solutions Architect at Nokia.
As researchers demand faster, safer, and more reliable networks to fuel discovery, this trans-European test marks a powerful step forward—one where long distance, quite clearly, works.
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