Portugal news - Portugal is becoming a hub for global data connectivity with a strong backbone of subsea cables and green data centers that represent a fully integrated ecosystem, thus driving investments in cutting-edge technology and fostering the dynamic tech startup scene.
Portugal’s government has seized the opportunity of the country’s strategic location at the confluence of Europe, Africa, and the American continent to foster the development of a number of subsea cable infrastructure projects that have turned Portugal into the only country in the world that has moored direct subsea cable connectivity to all continents with the exception of Antarctica. Portugal is thus fast becoming a global digital gateway due to its backbone of subsea cable infrastructure projects and cutting-edge green data centers.
Portugal’s current subsea cable systems include the ACE (Africa Coast to Europe) subsea cable that was launched in 2012, the EllaLink subsea cable that was launched in 2021, the Equiano subsea cable that was launched by Google in 2022, and the 2Africa subsea cable by Meta that connected the country in March 2024. Portugal will not only soon be connected to another 4 subsea cable systems that will be launched between 2025 and 2026 but is also becoming a Green Data Center Hub.
Here is the list of new subsea cables linking Portugal to the rest of the world:
1 – EllaLink
The EllaLink subsea cable, that spans 6,200 km, connects both Sines and Lisbon in Portugal to Madrid, Marseille, Barcelona, Fortaleza, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, with onward connectivity to the USA, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. EllaLink, that was launched in 2021, became the first cable to directly connect Europe to South America.
2 - Equiano
The Equiano subsea cable by Google, that was launched in 2022, is connected to the Sesimbra cable landing station that links Portugal to Togo, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, and St. Helena. The subsea cable spans 610 km in the Portugal mainland EEZ sub-area and 769 kilometers in the Madeira sub-area.
3 – 2Africa
The 2Africa subsea cable by Meta landed in Carcavelos, Portugal in March 2024. It is the world’s largest subsea cable network that spans 45,000 km to connect 33 countries with 46 landing points in Europe and Asia.
4 – Olisipo
The Olisipo subsea cable, that is owned by EllaLink, will be launched in 2025 Q1. With a cable length of 110 km, it will connect Carcavelos in Lisbon to Sines in the district of Setúbal, both in Portugal. The cable will provide enhanced connectivity between the new data center area of Sines and the Lisbon metropolitan area.
5 - Medusa
The Medusa subsea cable, that spans 8,760 km, will be launched in 2025 Q4 and will connect both Carcavelos and Sines in Portugal to Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia.
6 – New CAM Ring
The New CAM Ring subsea cable, that spans 3,812 km, will be launched in 2026 and will connect mainland Portugal to the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, with landing points in Carcavelos, Funchal, Machico, Sines, São Miguel, and Terceira Island.
7 – Nuvem
The Nuvem subsea cable by Google, that will be launched in 2026, is a transatlantic cable that will connect Portugal to Bermuda and the US.
Portugal becomes a Green Data Center Hub
Portugal has 5 main cable landing sites, namely in Sesimbra, Carcavelos, Seixal, Lisbon and Sines. In Sines, there will be additional Cable Landing Stations (CLS) that will turn the port of Sines into a Data Port.
Since subsea cable systems and data centers have a symbiotic relationship, they form the essential components of a data connectivity ecosystem that is fundamental for the development of a strong digital sector.
Portugal’s Innovation & Data Center Hub, Sines Tech, that won the EEPA awards in 2023 for supporting the digital transition, combines the landing of high-capacity submarine cables with the installation of large data centers.
Portugal’s Sines Tech Innovation and Data Center Hub that was founded by EllaLink and Aicep Global Parques, is an innovative green tech hub that includes a cable mooring station and a Green Data Center. Portugal has also been attracting private state-of-the-art Data Centers, such as the Equinix IBX data center, that are powered by renewable energy. Portugal’s fully integrated data ecosystem will include the Start Campus that is a company developing one of Europe’s largest data centers in Sines with a capacity of up to 495 MW powered 100% by green energy.
Portugal’s growing network of subsea cables and green data centers is transforming these information highways into catalysts that attract foreign investments in cutting-edge tech sectors, thus providing the infrastructure to propel the country towards an effective digital transformation.
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