Google Connects New Transatlantic Cable to Portugal
Alphabet's Google has successfully connected a new transatlantic subsea cable to Sines in Portugal. This major infrastructure project adds another crucial U.S.-Europe data route as global demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence services surges.
The new cable, named Nuvem—which translates to "cloud" in Portuguese—links Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with Sines, located south of Lisbon, via Bermuda and the Azores.
Expanding Global Digital Infrastructure
The Nuvem cable system spans approximately 7,000 km (4,350 miles). It comprises 16 fibre pairs with a massive total design capacity of around 384 terabits per second. Subsea cables like Nuvem form the essential backbone of the world wide web, currently carrying more than 95% of global data traffic.
Giorgia Abeltino, head of government affairs and public policy for Google Cloud EMEA, stated that Nuvem is part of a wider vision for Portugal and Europe to invest in the strategic infrastructure underpinning the digital economy.
A Prime Hub Powered by Renewable Energy
Portugal's Atlantic coastline positions it as a prime hub for intercontinental subsea cables, helping turn the country into a magnet for AI-driven data centres. Two other high-capacity subsea cables already link Portugal with other continents: the Google-owned Equiano cable running to South Africa via other African countries, and the EllaLink running from Sines to Brazil.
I understand that as fast as we are progressing, we are also destroying our planet just as fast. The first priority of mankind should be to protect and secure this Earth. Thankfully, Lisbon seeks to leverage its abundant low-cost renewable energy from hydro, solar, and wind sources, with more than 2.6 gigawatts of capacity currently under development.
This green energy pipeline is led by the 1.2-GW Start Campus project in Sines, which is set to benefit from Microsoft's AI infrastructure investments and is expected to grow substantially in the years ahead.
State Reform and Innovation Minister Goncalo Matias emphasized at the cable landing ceremony that Nuvem is part of a broader strategy to make Portugal a central hub for data centres, AI, and innovation while bolstering Europe's digital resilience and sovereignty.
"Portugal is becoming what geography always invited us to be — the Atlantic gateway of Europe, the meeting point of three continents: Europe, Africa, and the Americas," Matias said.