Microsoft invests €10Bn in Start Campus

Microsoft is to invest €10BN at Portugal’s data centre Start Campus near Sines.

The announcement was made on Monday by Microsoft President and Vice-President Brad Smith during the opening of Web Summit.

The investment is the result of negotiations between Microsoft, Nscale, and Start Campus on AI and Cloud infrastructures to be set up on a large scale in Europe at Sines Data Campus.

These discussions include the installation of SIN01 which is already operational and the next development phase of the campus.

Start Campus is building and operating the SINES DC project, a 1.2 GW data centre campus in Portugal, creating one of Europe’s largest and most sustainable data ecosystems with market-leading global connectivity.

SINES DC offers customers maximum choice with turnkey and customised on-demand energy solutions.

The company’s advanced offering is AI-ready and responds to the future needs of the industry by integrating liquid cooling technologies into its flexible and scalable design.

With a total combined investment value estimated at €8.5Bn, the campus uses 100% renewable energy and aims for an industry-leading PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) of 1.1 and a WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness) of 0, harnessing the cooling power of the ocean.