Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.

Meta announced Petal on Sept. 21, a roughly 4,300-mile subsea cable connecting the U.S. and France that is expected to enter service in 2029 and will be the first to deliver petabit-scale capacity across an ocean. The cable will carry 1 petabit per second, or about 125,000 gigabytes per second, double what today's most advanced transoceanic cables can handle, using two-core fiber that fits two light paths inside each strand. Petal is one piece of a much larger seafloor empire: Meta says it has invested in more than 20 subsea cable projects touching every continent except Antarctica, led by Project Waterworth, announced in February 2025, which will stretch more than 31,000 miles and connect the U.S., Brazil, South Africa, India, and other regions across five continents. Petal is being developed with Japan's NEC and Sumitomo Electric Industries, with French telecom Orange handling the landing on France's Atlantic coast, while Waterworth will be wholly owned by Meta, only its third solely owned cable according to telecom research firm TeleGeography. Meta has not disclosed what Petal or Waterworth will cost, but TechCrunch reported before Waterworth's announcement that the project could top $10 billion, a small slice of the company's expected capital expenditures of $130 billion to $145 billion this year, nearly double the $72.2 billion it spent in 2025.

AFL, Corning Incorporated, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., and TeraHop PTE. LTD. announced the completion of the SDM4 Multicore Fiber Multi-Source Agreement and the public release of the SDM4 Multicore Fiber MSA Technical Specifications, Version 1.0. The specification defines common geometrical, optical, mechanical and measurement requirements for a four-core multicore fiber intended for AI data centers, campus networks and other short-reach optical links, completing the objective the MSA set out to achieve: an industry-defined technical foundation for multi-vendor interoperability and future international standardization of four-core multicore fiber. Key elements include a four-core, square-lattice 2x2 core arrangement with a core pitch of 40 plus or minus 1 micrometers, a nominal cladding diameter of 125 micrometers, optical characteristics suitable for O-band short-reach applications, and crosstalk limits of minus 40 dB or less at 1 km and 1310 nm for both adjacent and diagonal core pairs. Antonio Castano, Chair of the SDM4 MCF MSA, said the specification establishes a common technical foundation that can help accelerate adoption of multicore fiber across the industry by aligning around a shared four-core fiber design. The MSA said frequent revisions are not anticipated and that future evolution of requirements for this class of fiber is expected to be advanced through relevant international standards-development organizations, with the published specification serving as a technical reference for discussions within ITU-T, IEC and organizations such as IEEE.

Sumitomo Electric Industries announced its first-quarter results for the fiscal year ending March 2027 on July 31, reporting significant increases across all four key metrics: net sales of 1.33059 trillion yen (up 15.9% year-on-year), operating profit of 97.059 billion yen (up 61.0%), ordinary profit of 103.039 billion yen (up 66.6%), and net profit of 66.414 billion yen (up 89.1%). The company also revised up its full-year consolidated earnings forecast. Net sales are now projected at 5.4 trillion yen, up from 5.3 trillion yen; operating profit at 450 billion yen, up from 425 billion yen; ordinary profit at 460 billion yen, up from 432 billion yen; and net profit at 340 billion yen, up from 320 billion yen. Demand in the information and communications-related and automotive-related businesses remained strong, and the weak yen and higher copper prices also contributed. By segment, the automotive-related business, which had the largest net sales (first-quarter net sales of 802.803 billion yen), saw operating profit decline to 26.026 billion yen, but the information and communications-related business posted operating profit of 27.246 billion yen, surpassing the automotive segment and becoming the company's largest profit segment. This was driven by expanding demand for data centers. Additionally, the company conducted a 1-for-4 stock split effective July 1. The annual dividend forecast on a post-split basis is 39 yen, which translates to 156 yen on a pre-split basis, representing a real increase of 2 yen from the previous fiscal year.

The global fiber optical cable market is projected to grow from $16.34 billion in 2025 to $36.78 billion by 2035, according to a new report from ResearchAndMarkets.com. The market, which grew at a compound annual growth rate of 10% since 2020, is expected to expand at a CAGR of 9.1% from 2025 to 2030, reaching $25.21 billion, and then at a CAGR of 7.8% through 2035. Growth is driven by 5G deployment, data center expansion, and broadband initiatives, though challenges include supply chain disruptions and trade tariffs. In 2025, glass optical fiber dominated with 88.9% of the market, single-mode cable led with 62.5%, and telecommunications applications accounted for 55.7%. Asia-Pacific was the largest regional market at $6.81 billion, with a 41.7% share, and is also forecast to be the fastest-growing region through 2030. The report profiles major players including Corning, Prysmian, and Sumitomo Electric Industries.

The Nikkei Average edged higher, closing at 66,422.60 yen, up 307 yen from the previous trading day. After Google parent Alphabet raised its capital investment plan, so-called pick-and-shovel stocks that provide semiconductor components, manufacturing equipment, and cables needed for AI data centers were sought, with Advantest and Sumitomo Electric Industries posting sharp gains. On the other hand, higher crude oil prices amid Middle East tensions and rising yen interest rates weighed on the market, and on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, declining issues outnumbered advancing ones. TOPIX rose 0.51% to 4,053.88 points, and trading value on the Prime Market was 8.56635 trillion yen.

The global automotive wiring harness market is projected to grow from USD 42.95 billion in 2026 to USD 49.29 billion by 2033, a compound annual growth rate of 2.0 percent. The expansion is driven by the industry's shift from distributed to zonal electrical and electronic architectures, which can reduce wire length and harness complexity by 20 to 30 percent while increasing demand for higher-value, high-voltage, and high-bandwidth harness systems. Wires remain the largest component segment, with copper wires accounting for more than 60 percent of market value, and optical fiber is the fastest-growing material segment for internal combustion engine vehicles as data transmission needs rise. Asia Pacific is expected to lead the market through 2033, supported by large-scale vehicle production in China, Japan, South Korea, and India, where economical passenger cars represent over 80 percent of regional output. Key companies assessed in the report include Yazaki Corporation, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Aptiv, Furukawa Electric, Leoni AG, and Lear Corporation.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang met with executives from several Japanese suppliers at a Tokyo izakaya, signaling the company's deepening reliance on Japan's industrial base for its AI expansion. The gathering included Kioxia Holdings, Shin-Etsu Chemical, Tokyo Electron, Ajinomoto, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Taiyo Yuden, Panasonic Holdings, and Nitto Boseki, spanning flash memory, silicon wafers, manufacturing equipment, chip-packaging film, fiber-optic cables, capacitors, and ultra-thin glass cloth. Huang stated that Japan provides foundational technologies for semiconductor manufacturing, and Tokyo Electron's CEO noted NVIDIA has substantial expectations for the Japanese supply chain. The meeting underscores the critical role of these specialized suppliers as NVIDIA, valued at more than $5.1 trillion, scales its AI infrastructure.

Sandisk stock jumped 6.4% after Reuters reported the company signed a multi-year deal to supply NAND flash memory to Meta Platforms. Meta is also reportedly buying DRAM from Samsung and fiber optic cables from Sumitomo Electric as it builds out its AI computing infrastructure. Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing stocks also rose, as they are involved in designing and manufacturing Meta's Iris AI chips. None of the companies have officially confirmed the report. Meta is planning to spend as much as $145 billion on AI infrastructure this year.

On July 8, multiple research firms maintained their top investment ratings on 13 stocks and raised their target prices. Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities raised its target price for Kumagai Gumi from 2,200 yen to 2,250 yen, for Penta-Ocean Construction from 2,400 yen to 2,500 yen, and for Infroneer Holdings from 2,850 yen to 3,150 yen, maintaining bullish ratings on all three. Goldman Sachs raised its target price for Sumitomo Electric Industries from 3,125 yen to 3,400 yen, for Hitachi from 6,100 yen to 6,300 yen, for Mitsubishi Electric from 7,000 yen to 7,400 yen, for Panasonic Holdings from 4,220 yen to 5,000 yen, and for Anritsu from 4,700 yen to 5,300 yen, maintaining buy ratings. Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory raised its target price for NHK Spring from 3,060 yen to 4,480 yen, and for MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings from 6,000 yen to 6,100 yen, maintaining bullish ratings. Nomura Securities raised its target price for As One from 3,400 yen to 3,500 yen, and for Pilot Corporation from 1,867 yen to 1,950 yen, maintaining buy ratings. Nikko Securities raised its target price for Chubu Electric Power from 3,000 yen to 3,500 yen, maintaining a bullish rating.

The global silver-based brazing alloys market is projected to grow from $2.98 billion in 2026 to $3.8 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 6.3%, according to a new report from ResearchAndMarkets.com. The market had already risen from $2.8 billion in 2025 to $2.98 billion in 2026, a 6.6% increase, driven by demand from the automotive sector, electrical equipment, aerospace, household appliances, and infrastructure. Escalating vehicle production, including the shift to electric vehicles, and expansion of automotive maintenance and repair services are key growth factors. North America led the market in 2025, but Asia-Pacific is expected to see the fastest growth. Major players include Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, Linde, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Umicore, and voestalpine.