Latest news and stories about digital infrastructure in technology in Portugal for expats and residents.
Google officially launched its new transatlantic submarine cable, Nuvem, which connects Myrtle Beach in the United States to Sines. The infrastructure aims to increase the resilience of digital communications across the North Atlantic and is expected to be fully operational by 2027.
The government has introduced the National Data Center Plan (Plano Nacional de Centros de Dados or PNDC) to position Portugal as a European hub for digital infrastructure. The strategy aims to simplify complex regulations and address fragmented oversight to attract more investment. While the sector welcomes the guidelines, industry experts warn that the success of the initiative depends on effective execution.
The National Data Centre Plan (Plano Nacional de Centros de Dados or PNDC) is a government strategy introduced in March 2024 to attract investment in digital infrastructure. It establishes guidelines for developing data centers to strengthen Portugal's position as a hub for technology and cloud services in Europe.
An analysis of the public or consumer costs associated with the funding and maintenance of data centres.
An analysis of Google's submarine cable infrastructure and its role in global connectivity following the company's strategic expansion into Portugal.
Airbus Defence and Space has begun development of the first satellites for IRIS 2, the European programme aimed at creating a sovereign constellation for resilient and secure digital communications, including for government and military users, as an alternative to the American Starlink. The company signed the initial contract for the design and construction of the first layer of satellites.
The Schwarz group, owner of the Lidl and Kaufland supermarket chains, will invest 5.6 billion euros in the construction of a data centre near Rostock, in northern Germany, which will be powered by wind energy. The Schwarz group announced this Thursday that it plans to build a data centre with a capacity of 240 megawatts by 2033. “Digital sovereignty is not achieved through appeals or speeches. It is conquered with actions, reliable infrastructure, and practical applications,” said Schwarz group CEO Gerd Chrzanowski. The owner of Lidl and Kaufland is already building a data centre in Lübbenau, Brandenburg, near Berlin, to meet the company's own needs, a project that will receive an investment of 11 billion euros, the largest single investment in the company's history. The Schwarz group, which employs 600,000 people worldwide, is known for its Lidl and Kaufland supermarkets, but also owns an IT services division called Schwarz Digits, which offers cybersecurity and cloud services. Schwarz wants to position itself as a European alternative to technology consortia from other continents. Data centre capacity in Portugal rises by 23%, placing the country in the global top 10.
Portugal finds itself caught in a geopolitical tug-of-war between the US and China over Artificial Intelligence infrastructure. Having signed a US-led declaration on AI opportunity, the country faces pressure to choose sides, effectively forcing a binary choice between American and Chinese technological alliances. While the Portuguese government pursues a 'sovereign cloud' strategy and data centre hubs, the country remains heavily dependent on foreign infrastructure, highlighting a significant gap between political rhetoric and actual technological autonomy.
A giant infrastructure of data centres is required to process all the information generated, especially by AI.
The company plans to install three new submarine cables in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The links will be interconnected with existing routes that pass through the Azores and Sines.
Google announced this Tuesday, August 12, a digital infrastructure project called 'Americas Connect', which involves installing three new submarine cables in the Caribbean and the Pacific to strengthen connectivity between America, the Caribbean region, and Europe. The new infrastructure includes the 'Alisios' cable, connecting the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Chile; the 'Canoa' cable, linking the Dominican Republic to Bermuda; and the 'OlaLuz' cable, which will connect the Caribbean island to Florida in the southern United States. Additionally, Google will extend the 'Firmina' submarine cable to the Dominican Republic, expanding the reach of this infrastructure designed to connect North and South America. Existing submarine routes—'Curie', 'Nuvem', and 'Sol'—will be interconnected with the new paths to create redundant network rings towards the United States and Europe. In the Pacific, a submarine ring will create redundant routes linking Chile to Panama, along with a third connection between the Central American country and the US West Coast, providing connectivity to Google Cloud regions in Chile, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Through the Caribbean Sea, the 'Alisios' cable will run from Panama to the Dominican Republic, also connecting via a ring to the US East Coast and Google Cloud regions in South Carolina and Virginia. In the Atlantic, the 'Canoa' cable will be interconnected with the 'Nuvem' and 'Sol' cables via rings towards both the United States and Madrid, providing connectivity between Europe and America. This project aims to improve the reach, reliability, and resilience of connectivity by providing diversity in submarine cable routes.
“Americas Connect” is the name of the project that includes the Alisios, Canoa, and OlaLuz cables, creating redundant network rings between the Americas, Europe, and Google Cloud.
The new infrastructure consists of the 'Alisios', 'Canoa', and 'OlaLuz' cables.
Portugal is now included in the first sovereign cloud infrastructure map launched by Amazon Web Services.
Portugal is now included in the first sovereign cloud infrastructure map launched by Amazon Web Services.
New data centres, located at Taguspark and Cidade Universitária, will be part of a project that will create one of the largest digital infrastructures in Portuguese higher education, with a deadline of 2028.
The University of Lisbon is investing over 20 million euros in a distributed digital infrastructure featuring two new data centres at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Oeiras and the Faculty of Sciences in Lisbon. Part of the ULISBOA CORE and ULISBOA CORE+ projects, the initiative aims to boost capacity for artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and secure data storage. The project includes a sovereign cloud for sensitive research and will be available to the university's innovation ecosystem to support startups and industrial partners. Rector Luís Ferreira highlighted the investment as a decisive step for scientific and technological advancement.
An overview of the new “Nuvem” submarine cable project designed to establish a direct digital link between Portugal and the United States.
An inquiry into the societal acceptance of technical failures within digital infrastructure.
The town of Sines has been selected as the landing point for a new Google transatlantic submarine cable, reinforcing Portugal's strategic position in global connectivity.
