Nscale announced an expansion of its collaboration with Microsoft and Start Campus that will deploy more than 66,000 NVIDIA Rubin GPUs at the SINES Data Campus in Portugal beginning in late 2027.
The deployment of NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 systems is expected to become one of the largest AI infrastructure installations in the European Union and will support Microsoft’s European customers with frontier AI capabilities.
The agreement builds on an existing deployment of more than 12,600 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs at the first building of the SINES Data Campus for Microsoft.
As part of the expanded project, Nscale said it will invest an additional €230 million in shared infrastructure and €465 million in a second 200MW building at the SINES Data Campus. The companies described the initiative as one of the largest AI infrastructure projects in the European Union and among the most significant technology infrastructure investments in Portugal’s history.
According to the companies, demand for AI infrastructure is expected to rise significantly through 2030, driven by increasing requirements for compute power and data center capacity. Start Campus said its fully permitted 1.2GW campus positions Portugal as a strategic gateway for Europe’s AI economy.
The SINES Data Campus is designed to support large-scale AI workloads with renewable energy infrastructure and advanced cooling technologies. Start Campus said the facility targets a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1 and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) of zero through ocean-based cooling systems.
Nscale said the deployment strengthens its broader relationship with Microsoft, following previous infrastructure deployments in Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Davidson Kempner, a shareholder in Start Campus, also highlighted the investment as part of Portugal’s growing role in Europe’s AI infrastructure ecosystem.
KEY QUOTES:
“This partnership enables the deployment of next-generation AI compute at the scale and efficiency required for frontier workloads.”
“Building on a proven foundation, the expanded deployment in Sines, Portugal creates one of the most advanced environments in Europe for high-density AI infrastructure.”
“It also represents one of the largest AI infrastructure investments in Portugal’s history, and among the most significant in the EU, reflecting the surging demand we’re seeing for Nscale’s services.”
Josh Payne, CEO And Founder, Nscale
“Sines is one of Europe’s leading destinations for large-scale AI, strengthening Europe’s ability to support sovereign AI development with sustainability, resilience and long-term planning at its core.”
“Building on our existing agreement, this expansion by Nscale will be one of Europe’s largest NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 deployments.”
“As we progress towards our 1.2GW vision, our focus remains on delivering secure, sustainable and globally connected infrastructure, underpinned by renewable energy and designed to support Europe’s long-term competitiveness in the AI era.”
Robert Dunn, CEO, Start Campus
“This significant investment by Nscale accelerates the development of the SINES Data Campus.”
“Underpinned by Davidson Kempner’s continued commitment, the Start Campus platform is well positioned to scale, reinforcing Portugal’s emergence as an AI leader in Europe.”
Daniel Boehm, Partner, Davidson Kempner
