SINES, Portugal--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Start Campus, the company responsible for the development of 100% green energy ecosystems in Sines, Portugal, announces today that it has welcomed its first hyperscaler clients for the initial setup phase at its NEST building, the company’s first phase data hall. Highlights of this monumental event were showcased during a visit from Portuguese Minister of Infrastructure, João Galamba, who toured the 100% sustainable campus powered by 24x7 renewable energy on September 29, 2023.
In advance of the upcoming operational launch of the Start Campus data center, the onboarding process for the new hyperscalers is underway, including access to unique and diverse global network connectivity solutions. The NEST is scheduled to be fully operational by March 2024 and will deliver an initial 15 MW of power, setting the stage for a capacity of 495 MW across six buildings. When live, it will become one of Europe’s largest green hyperscale ecosystems. Start Campus projects its facility will create up to 1,200 direct, highly skilled jobs and 8,000 indirect jobs by 2028, contributing to the local economy and community.
“This moment represents a very important milestone for Start Campus and the SINES Project,” says Afonso Salema, CEO of Start Campus. “We are developing a dynamic sustainability-driven ecosystem that will place Portugal at the center of the rapidly growing international data market. We’re challenging what’s deemed possible in our industry, so we are particularly pleased with the entry of the first clients who resonate with our values, decisively reducing the carbon footprint of this industry.”
The SINES Project is poised to become one of the first and largest renewable energy-driven data center campuses in the world and is strategically positioned to act as a gateway between Europe, Africa and the Americas. To date, Start Campus has made significant strides by establishing network infrastructure partnerships with industry leaders like EllaLink, EXA Infrastructure, DE-CIX, and Colt. According to Afonso, “These alliances represent a pivotal milestone in our journey to enhance connectivity and drive digital innovation.”
The location of the SINES Project enables Portugal to provide international access via transatlantic cable landings, multiple terrestrial network routes and the world’s largest Internet Exchange operator. Major subsea cable players such as Medusa, and EllaLink’s Olisipo and Fortaleza-Sines cable systems have already identified the area as the emerging “Atlantic Hub,” ushering in a new era of global connectivity that does not rely on the FLAP-D markets.
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About Start Campus
Start Campus is responsible for the development of the SINES Project, a Hyperscaler data center campus with a capacity of up to 495 MW in Sines, an investment of up to €3.5 billion. It will be one of the largest data center campuses in Europe and meets the growing demand from large international technology companies. It will create up to 1,200 direct highly skilled jobs and 8,000 indirect jobs by 2028. It is located in Sines and will benefit from all the strategic advantages such as seawater cooling systems, access to the high voltage electrical grid, connectivity through the connection to high capacity international networks of fiber optic cables with North America, Africa and South America. SINES Project will be one of the largest data center ecosystems with 100% green energy at competitive prices in a premium location in Europe, which is the perfect gateway to Europe and the world.
To learn more about Start Campus, visit www.startcampus.pt
