The team sent a multiple stream data transmission at a transfer rate of 7.21 gigabits per second over a distance of 20,645 kilometers, a distance of more than half the circumference of the earth.
The Internet2 land speed record measures the data transfer rate by the distance traveled.
The record-breaking team, which is comprised of members from Fujitsu Computer Technologies and the Widely Integrated Distributed Environment Project, beat the previous record, set by a joint SUNET-Sprint team, by more than 20 percent.
The record was set using hardware supplied by Foundry Networks, including a BigIron MG8 switch, NetIron 40G routers and WAN PHY.
A representative from the University of Tokyo downplayed the achievement, pointing out that new technologies will continue to make possible even higher network speeds in the very near future.
“The record demonstrates that the data transfer bottleneck is no longer at the network layer,” Professor Kei Hiraki said. “As I/O technology evolves, the data transfer possibilities may be endless.”
Internet2 is a consortium of universities, research institutions, networking companies and government working to develop and deploy advanced Internet technologies. The consortium also announced an IPv4 single stream Internet2 speed record set by a team from the California Institute of Technology, CERN and CENIC.