Google's Nuvem cable lands in Sines, linking Portugal to the US

Google's Nuvem submarine cable has landed in Sines, strengthening Portugal's role in digital links between Europe and the United States. The new transatlantic infrastructure, expected to become operational in 2027, connects Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Sines on Portugal's Alentejo coast, passing through the Azorean island of São Miguel and Bermuda. According to Google, Nuvem is the first submarine cable system to directly link the United States to the Azores and mainland Portugal, and the first transatlantic system to have a landing point in Bermuda.

The cable runs roughly 6,900 kilometers and was landed in partnership with telecom operator Meo. In terms of capacity, each fiber pair is projected to carry around 24 terabits per second; the system has 16 fiber pairs in total, for an aggregate capacity of 384 Tbps. After the "Equiano" cable, landed in 2022, Google is now preparing "Sol," another system that, while not touching mainland Portugal, will connect to São Miguel and is also expected to enter service in 2027, linking Florida to Bermuda, the Azores and Spain.

US investment that could reach $40 billion

At Nuvem's presentation, held at Lisbon's Oceanário, US Ambassador to Portugal John Arrigo argued that Google's investment confirms growing American commitment to the country. According to the diplomat, more than $40 billion in US tech investment is expected in Portugal by 2031 — a figure that would make the country "the largest concentration of American artificial intelligence infrastructure investment in all of Europe." "When American companies invest like this, not once, not twice, but three times in the same country, that's not a coincidence," Arrigo said.

The ambassador also stressed the geopolitical importance of submarine cables, which carry more than 95% of the world's data traffic and, in his view, are essential for intelligence sharing among NATO allies. "Every new trusted cable that reaches the Portuguese coast is one cable that no longer reaches a less reliable location," he said, arguing that Europe should deepen cooperation with the United States on digital infrastructure rather than try to go it alone.

Portugal, landing point for 15% to 20% of the world's submarine cables

"We have a privileged geostrategic position in the global submarine cable network. About 15% to 20% of submarine cables currently pass through our sovereign waters, and the trend is upward in coming years," Luís Bernardino, president of the Digital Ecosystems Observatory, told Jornal Económico. By the end of 2026, Portugal is expected to have 20 submarine cables landed on its coast, including EllaLink, Equiano, Medusa, 2Africa, Nuvem, New CAM Ring and Olisipo. Besides Google, Meta and other US tech companies have also approached Anacom, Portugal's telecom regulator, about installing more cables in the country, and Meo will also operate the Pisces cable — also known as the "Brexit cable" — linking two points in Europe to Ireland while bypassing the UK.

• Nuvem cable length: about 6,900 kilometers, between Myrtle Beach (US) and Sines, via the Azores and Bermuda.
• Capacity: 16 fiber pairs, 24 Tbps per pair, 384 Tbps aggregate capacity.
• Expected service start: 2027, the same year as Google's "Sol" cable.
• Cables landed or planned in Portugal by end of 2026: about 20, including EllaLink, Equiano, Medusa, 2Africa and New CAM Ring.
• Direct investment in submarine cable projects in Portugal: about €200 million.
• Tech and digital investment this infrastructure could attract: more than €10.3 billion, according to AmCham Portugal and PwC.

From customers to co-owners: the hyperscaler race

Submarine cables were traditionally owned by consortiums of telecom operators. About a decade ago a new category of customer emerged — large internet companies such as Meta, Google and Amazon — which now account for half of the business. "Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft have stopped being just customers and have become co-investors and owners of massive submarine systems," Samuel Carvalho, CEO of TelCables Europe, a European subsidiary of Angola Cables, told Jornal Económico. According to him, "Portugal has established itself as the gravitational center of Atlantic connectivity," benefiting from a mature fiber network and abundant clean energy to host AI mega data centers.

Google has already invested in more than 30 submarine cables, Meta owns 2Africa — which links three continents and cost more than €1 billion — and is also preparing the 50,000-kilometer Waterworth project, while Amazon has invested in systems such as Fastnet, between Maryland and Ireland. A study by Portugal DC, the Portuguese data center association, with Dutch consultancy Pb7 Research, estimates the data center and digital infrastructure sector could generate a positive impact of €3.7 billion on national GDP by 2031, up from the current €160 million, creating more than 9,400 full-time jobs. "Latency is the new gold. The faster data reaches users or moves between data centers, the more efficient services become," summed up Luís Pedro Duarte, president of Portugal DC.

For the Azores, the archipelago through which Nuvem and, in future, Sol pass, regional government president José Manuel Bolieiro spoke of "disruptive importance": the cables turn the island of São Miguel from merely a "bridge" in the Atlantic into also a "control room" for new digital economies, with potential to function as smart cables tracking climate and energy indicators. Bolieiro also warned of the need to renew the so-called Anel CAM, the cable network linking the mainland to the Azores and Madeira, whose service life is running out.

For a foreign cloud, hosting or streaming company weighing where to put its next European point of presence, a direct cable to the United States — alongside the other 19 systems already landed or planned in Portugal — means cheaper, lower-latency access to American servers and services, and one more argument to route European operations through Portugal instead of the continent's already-saturated northern hubs.