José Manuel Bolieiro highlights Google submarine cable reinforcing Azores' Position in global communications - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

The President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, attended today the official launch ceremony of Google's transatlantic submarine cable, Nuvem, in Lisbon. He highlighted this investment as a strategic milestone in establishing the Azores as an "international platform" for digital communications and a forward-looking project.

The new fibre-optic submarine cable, spanning approximately 6,900 kilometres, establishes the first direct link between the United States and Portugal, connecting Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Sines, with intermediate landing points in Bermuda and the Azores. The infrastructure will significantly boost data transmission capacity, reduce latency in transatlantic communications, and enhance the resilience of international digital networks.

José Manuel Bolieiro praised Google's strategic vision, considering it a private investment with high public value and strong long-term impact.

"This investment belongs more to the future than to the present. Google recognised the Azores as a strategic partner and an ideal location to strengthen intercontinental connectivity and prepare the digital economy for the coming decades," he stated.

The President of the Government emphasised that integrating the archipelago into this international infrastructure reinforces the Azores' geostrategic centrality and opens new opportunities for economic development.

"This project reinforces our strategic role in global communications and consolidates the Azores' international standing," he highlighted.

The head of the Azorean Government also congratulated Google on the trust placed in Portugal and the Azores, noting that projects of this importance align with the Regional Government's strategy to promote structural investments that position the Region at the forefront of the knowledge economy.

Submarine cables carry the vast majority of global internet traffic, supporting essential services such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital platforms, video calling, and data transmission. With the integration of the Azores into the new Nuvem transatlantic connection, the Region reinforces its strategic role in the Atlantic, consolidating its status as an essential asset for Portugal, Europe and the global digital economy.

The ceremony was attended by various national and international representatives across the communications, infrastructure, and technology sectors, including: Gonçalo Saraiva Matias, Minister in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister and of State Reform; Giorgia Abeltino, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Google Cloud (Europe, Middle East and Africa); Sandra Maximiano, President of the Board of Directors of ANACOM;  Nigel Bayliff, Senior Director of Global Submarine Networks at Google; Nuno Cadima, Chief Operations Officer (COO) of MEO, Miguel Pinto Luz, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing (via video message); and John J. Arrigo, United States Ambassador to Portugal. 

The Government of the Azores was represented by its President, José Manuel Bolieiro, and its Vice-President, Artur Lima, who reiterated the strategic importance that the Azorean Government attaches to bolstering the Azores’ position as a leading Atlantic hub for digital connectivity and the development of the economy of the future.