Sines, Portugal and New York, US – DE-CIX, the world’s leading Internet Exchange (IX) operator, is now offering its interconnection and cloud services at SINES DC, Europe’s largest data center campus with 1.2 GW of secured IT grid capacity in Portugal. This new Point of Presence (PoP) at the carrier-neutral facility, developed by Start Campus, marks a significant expansion of DE-CIX’s footprint in Portugal: the extension of the distributed DE-CIX platform in Lisbon to Sines will support the digitalization for local companies, providing access to high performance interconnection and cloud connectivity, as well as empower DE-CIX’s current and future customers with enhanced geographical diversity and increased network resilience and performance.

Strategically positioned at the southwestern edge of Europe, Sines is emerging as a key intercontinental connectivity hub. Presenting all of the fundamentals for the development of a robust data ecosystem – existing data center infrastructure at SINES DC, Ellalink’s subsea cable landing station, strong terrestrial network and now IXP presence with DE-CIX’s deployment at SINES DC – Sines is positioned to become a vital exchange point for data traffic moving across and along the Atlantic and beyond. In the coming years, multiple announced and planned cables will further enhance Sines’ direct connectivity to North America, Southern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, solidifying its role as a global digital gateway.

“We are excited to announce that DE-CIX is now ready for service at the SINES DC,” states Theresa Bobis, Regional Director Southern Europe at DE-CIX. “Sines is poised to become a crucial hub for multiple subsea systems interconnecting and serving Southern Europe, with enhanced reach to Africa and other European markets, including North and South America. Expanding our Southern European footprint to Sines enhances connectivity for Portugal and beyond.”

“Welcoming DE-CIX to our SINES DC is a significant milestone and testimony of the growing importance of Sines as a connectivity hub. It highlights that the center of gravity of data is moving further south in Europe,” comments Robert Dunn, CEO at Start Campus. “Now customers will be able to have access to the world’s leading neutral Internet Exchange operator and largest interconnection ecosystem at our premises, ensuring local traffic remains local and global data is routed more efficiently. This partnership exemplifies our mission of fostering a high density, robust digital ecosystem both within and around our data center.”

With 1.2 GW of grid access fully secured, the SINES DC is now Europe’s largest data center under development, with its first building, SIN01, ready to channel IX traffic. Its cutting-edge cooling solution using ocean-water and focus on energy efficiency will set new standards in the industry, achieving Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1 and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) of 0. Offering DE-CIX’s interconnection and cloud services at SINES DC marks an important step in realizing Start Campus’s forward-thinking vision of developing a new global data ecosystem on the Atlantic coast of Portugal.

Recognizing the significance of Portugal as a digital hub, the first edition of the Atlantic Convergence conference will take place from 1-3 October 2024 in Lisbon. This event will bring together digital infrastructure experts to discuss the future of pan-Atlantic connectivity. Alongside this event, DE-CIX will publish a new study on the 2nd of October, during the Atlantic Convergence, titled “The Iberian Peninsula: A next-generation regional mega hub”, which follows the previously issued report titled “Portugal: a global interconnection hub, a gateway to Europe, a gateway to the world”.

In May 2024 DE-CIX celebrated the fifth anniversary of its Portuguese exchange, DE-CIX Lisbon, now the largest IX in Portugal based on network count. DE-CIX offers its interconnection services in 55 locations across Europe, Africa, North America, the Middle East, and Asia. Accessible from data centers in over 600 cities worldwide, DE-CIX interconnects thousands of network operators (carriers), Internet service providers (ISPs), content providers, and enterprise networks from more than 100 countries, offering peering, cloud, and interconnection services. DE-CIX in Frankfurt, Germany, is one of the largest Internet Exchanges globally, with a data volume of almost 40 Exabytes per year (as of 2023) and close to 1,100 connected networks.

To learn more about DE-CIX and the company’s Atlantic Convergence event, visit the DE-CIX or event website.