Portugal’s Start Campus Launches SIN01, Advancing a 1.2GW Gigascale Vision
Status: Operational (First Building, SIN01) | Location: Sines, Portugal (Atlantic Coast)
Project Overview
The Start Campus Data Hub in Sines, Portugal, is one of the most ambitious and strategically significant data center developments in Europe, positioning Sines as a new, green digital gateway. Officially launching its first building, SIN01, in Q2 2025, the project is rapidly transitioning from a plan into an operational reality. The entire campus is planned as a gigascale facility, ultimately targeting a monumental total power capacity of 1.2 GW across six dedicated buildings, driven by a total investment that is expected to approach €10 billion over the life of the project.
This project's core differentiator is its profound commitment to sustainability and efficiency. Leveraging Portugal's already high share of renewable energy, the campus is designed to operate on 100% renewable energy from the national grid. Crucially, its location on the Atlantic coast allows it to utilize a sophisticated Seawater Cooling (SWAC) system. This highly efficient, closed-loop process significantly reduces the facility's reliance on fresh water and mechanical cooling, resulting in an exceptionally low and industry-leading PUE target of approximately 1.1. This makes it a model for sustainable, energy-intensive AI, HPC, and Cloud workloads.
Strategically, the Sines location is paramount. It is the landing point for several high-capacity submarine fiber-optic cables, including the 2Africa and BlueMed systems, making it an ideal, low-latency interconnection hub between Europe, the Americas, and Africa. The SIN01 building represents the initial phase, providing a first wave of critical capacity to anchor the campus and attract major Hyperscale operators looking for highly redundant (Tier IV-ready), sustainable digital infrastructure that is optimized for the power-hungry demands of Artificial Intelligence deployments.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Project Name | Portugal’s Start Campus Launches SIN01, Advancing a 1.2GW Gigascale Vision |
| Location | Sines, Portugal (Atlantic Coast) |
| Status | Operational (First Building, SIN01) |
| Commissioning | Q2 2025 (SIN01 Opened) |
| Total IT Load | 15 MW (Initial Capacity of SIN01) |
| Total Capacity | 1.2 GW (Total Campus Gigascale Plan) |
| Tier Level | Tier III+ to Tier IV Ready (Designed for High Redundancy)` |
| Project Type | Hyperscale, Cloud, HPC, and AI Data Center Campus |
City Profile
| Header | Details |
|---|
| City Name | Lagoa |
| Population | ~23,000 (municipality estimate) |
| Urban Agglomeration | ~450,000 (part of the Algarve urban/tourism region) |
| City GDP | ~€1.2–1.5 billion |
| Per Capita Income | ~€20,000–€24,000 annually |
| City Tier | Tier 3 (small city with strong tourism-driven economy) |
| Key Strengths | Major tourism hub in the Algarve region |
Companies Involved
| Header | Details |
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| Developer / Operator | Start Campus |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | Government of Portugal, Major European Utilities |
| Construction Contractor | (Not Publicly Disclosed) |
| MEP Engineering | (Not Publicly Disclosed) |
| Network Connectivity | Direct access to Sines high-capacity submarine cable landing station (e.g., 2Africa, BlueMed) |
| Power Infrastructure | Direct connection to Portugal's high-capacity national grid |
Technical Specifications
| Header | Details |
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| Power Capacity | 1.2 GW (Secured Total Grid Capacity) |
| UPS Redundancy | N+1 / 2N-Ready |
| Cooling System | Seawater Cooling (SWAC), Closed-Loop System |
| Connectivity | Submarine Cable Landing Station (Sines is a major European gateway) |
| PUE Target | ~1.1 (Extremely Low, due to Seawater Cooling) |
| Energy Mix | 100% Renewable Energy (from Portugal's Green Grid) |
Milestones
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Announcement | 2021 |
| Construction Start | 2023 |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | 6 Buildings Planned |
| Full Buildout | 2030+ |
Investment Details
| Header | Details |
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| Total Investment | €8.5 - €9.97 Billion (Total Campus Investment) |
| Funding | Institutional Investment, Project Financing |