European Sovereignty Monitor

Compute and infrastructure

EIB lends EUR 25 million to Optics11 for undersea cable sensors

The European Investment Bank signed a EUR 25 million venture debt loan with Dutch firm Optics11, backed by the EU's InvestEU programme, to expand fibre-optic sensors that detect damage to undersea cables and high-voltage grids.

Verified Optics11 press release, 15 January 2026

What it does not test. This does not establish that any cable has yet been fitted with the sensors, only that financing for the technology's rollout has been agreed.

How this item counts. Towards autonomy: it changes who made the parts. Binding 2 of 3 (agreed or funded), scale 1 of 3 (small), Verified counts in full: weight +2 of 36 possible. parts: EUR25M loan for EU-made cable sensors, not yet deployed. European Sovereignty Index

Previously in Compute and infrastructure

Verified EuroHPC and NAISS inaugurate EUR 68.5 million Arrhenius supercomputer in Sweden Reported EU backs Eutelsat and Tusass satellite connectivity expansion in Greenland Verified Julich inaugurates JION quantum computer linked to supercomputer infrastructure

All Compute and infrastructure news →