National Data Centre Plan

Data centres are now a strategic infrastructure for competitiveness, digital sovereignty, and investment attraction. In Portugal, the sector still starts from a relatively limited installed base, with capacity below the European average, and faces constraints such as complex regulatory processes, institutional fragmentation, and the lack of internationally established data centre hubs.

At the same time, the international context creates a significant opportunity. The growth of artificial intelligence is increasing demand for computing capacity, while several European markets face constraints on the deployment of new infrastructure. In this context, Portugal could see rapidly growing demand and benefit from significant economic impacts in terms of GDP, employment, and trade balance.

Against this backdrop, the National Data Centre Plan (PNCD) sets out an integrated State response to position Portugal as a European data centre hub, while ensuring environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, and territorial balance. The Plan is structured around 15 initiatives to be implemented in 2026–2027, organised across four pillars: Regulation and Governance, Energy and Infrastructure, Demand and Market, and Territory and Ecosystem.