As Europe rethinks its role in the global digital and energy landscape, one location is rapidly gaining strategic importance: Sines, Portugal.
Positioned at the southwestern edge of Europe—with a deep-water port and direct maritime access to the Americas and Africa—Sines is evolving into a digital and connectivity hub of transatlantic significance. With cutting-edge subsea cable projects, green-powered hyperscale infrastructure, and strong public-private collaboration, Sines is no longer just a point on the map. It’s the Atlantic gateway to Europe’s digital future.
Sines offers unmatched geographic advantages as a European landing point for the next generation of subsea cables. It is one of the shortest, lowest-latency routes between Europe and:
With Sines acting as a neutral, carrier-friendly location, these investments are establishing resilient, high-capacity routes that diversify Europe’s digital backbone—moving beyond traditional hubs in northern Europe.
Beyond its geography, Sines has become the centerpiece of a bold, long-term vision to modernize Europe’s digital and energy infrastructure. A new wave of projects—anchored by initiatives like the Atlantic Hub (a collaboration between aicep Global Parques, EllaLink, and Start Campus)—is turning Sines into a secure and sustainable landing zone for subsea cables, network interconnection, and cloud infrastructure.
Start Campus is leading the charge with the SINES Project, a 1.2 GW hyperscale data center campus powered by 100% green energy. Designed with efficiency, sustainability, and global reach in mind, the campus will be directly integrated into the region’s fast-growing cable ecosystem—offering ultra-low latency connections across three continents.
What once was an underutilized node is now a dynamic digital infrastructure ecosystem, home to an increasing number of Tier 1 connectivity providers and interconnection platforms. Key systems enhancing Sines’ global reach include:
These cables are part of a broader movement to decentralize Europe’s data traffic and create redundant, sovereign, and secure infrastructure outside of congested legacy corridors.
Inspiration can be drawn from cities like Marseille and Fortaleza, which have successfully established themselves as major data hubs. By fostering similar collaboration and infrastructure development, Sines is well-positioned to attract new submarine cables and data center operators. The recent establishment of cables like Olisipo, Medusa, and 2Africa at Sines highlights its growing importance.
As geopolitical tensions rise and the demand for digital sovereignty grows, Europe needs redundant and diverse pathways for data and energy. Sines provides both:
With strong support from the Portuguese Government, and a long-term vision aligned with the EU’s Digital Decade and Green Deal, Sines is poised to become a continental anchor for secure, sustainable global trade and communication.
What we’re witnessing is not just a transformation of a port city—it’s the birth of a new digital gateway for Europe. As more cables land, more data flows, and more infrastructure comes online, Sines will play a central role in how Europe connects with the world—both physically and virtually.
At START Campus, we’re proud to be part of this transformation—building the infrastructure, relationships, and momentum to help Sines realize its full potential as Europe’s Atlantic edge.
Fernando Azevedo, Head of Connectivity, joined from Amazon Web Services in Dublin where he worked as Network Development Manager for the AWS global backbone. He previously worked for leading connectivity players, including Angola Cables.