Nuvem strengthens the role of Sines and ZILS in Transatlantic Digital Connectivity
On 21 July, Google officially marked the launch of Nuvem, a new transatlantic submarine cable connecting Sines to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (USA) through an infrastructure spanning approximately 7,000 kilometres, with intermediate landing points in the Azores and Bermuda.
Nuvem represents Google’s second major direct cable connection to Portugal, following the Equiano cable, which was inaugurated in 2022. The project further reinforces the growing importance of Sines and its surrounding region within global communications networks and the digital economy of the future.
The ceremony was attended by Gonçalo Saraiva Matias, Minister in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister and of State Reform, who highlighted the importance of submarine cables as critical infrastructure for the digital economy and Portugal’s strategic position as Europe’s Atlantic gateway. The event also featured contributions from representatives of Google, ANACOM, MEO and the Embassy of the United States in Portugal. aicep Global Parques was represented by its CEO, Isabel Caldeira Cardoso, and by Miguel Borralho, Director of ZILS – Sines Industrial and Logistics Zone.
Nigel Bayliff, Senior Director of Global Submarine Networks at Google, described Nuvem as a milestone in the company’s international strategy, characterising it as the first of several steps towards building an increasingly resilient transatlantic network capable of supporting the growing global demand for digital services.
This new infrastructure further strengthens Sines’ position as one of Europe’s leading digital connectivity hubs, consolidating an ecosystem that combines a deep-water port, energy availability, industrial capacity and favourable conditions for the deployment of data centres and large-scale technological infrastructure.
For ZILS, this investment represents an additional driver of competitiveness and attractiveness for companies operating in the digital economy, data centres, telecommunications and advanced technology sectors, reinforcing the territory’s position as a preferred platform for new international investment.
