Google connects new transatlantic cable linking US and Portugal

Alphabet’s Google has connected a new transatlantic subsea cable linking the United States and Portugal, expanding data infrastructure capacity between North America and Europe as demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence services accelerates.

The cable, named Nuvem — the Portuguese word for “cloud” — connects Myrtle Beach in South Carolina with Sines, a port city south of Lisbon, with additional links via Bermuda and the Azores, the company said on Tuesday, July 21.

Spanning approximately 7,000 kilometres (4,350 miles), the Nuvem system consists of 16 fibre pairs and has a total design capacity of around 384 terabits per second, adding significant bandwidth to transatlantic data routes.

Giorgia Abeltino, head of government affairs and public policy for Google Cloud in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said the project forms part of a broader effort to strengthen digital infrastructure in the region.

“Nuvem was part of a wider vision for Portugal and Europe to invest in the strategic infrastructure underpinning the digital economy,” she said.

Subsea cables carry more than 95% of global data traffic and are critical to the functioning of the global internet. Portugal has increasingly positioned itself as a key hub for such infrastructure, with two other high-capacity systems already connecting the country to other continents: the Google-owned Equiano cable linking Portugal to South Africa via several African countries, and the EllaLink cable connecting Sines to Brazil.

Portugal’s Minister for State Reform and Innovation, Gonçalo Matias, said the new cable aligns with a broader national strategy to develop the country as a centre for data centres, artificial intelligence and technological innovation, while strengthening 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,” he said at the cable landing ceremony.

Portugal’s Atlantic coastline has made it an attractive location for intercontinental subsea cables, a factor that is also drawing investment in AI-driven data centres. The country is seeking to capitalise on abundant, low-cost renewable energy resources, including hydroelectric, solar and wind power, with more than 2.6 gigawatts of capacity currently under development.

A significant portion of that expansion is tied to the 1.2-gigawatt Start Campus project in Sines, which is expected to benefit from Microsoft’s investments in AI infrastructure and is projected to grow substantially in the coming years.

By Tamilla Hasanova