Start Campus, Nscale Drive Europe’s First NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra AI Deployment

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Start Campus, in partnership with Nscale, announces one of the European Union’s first deployments of NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 platform at its SIN01 data centre in Sines, Portugal. This deployment demonstrates Start Campus’ and Nscale’s position as two of the European Union’s trusted AI infrastructure partners — supporting Microsoft in delivering advanced AI capabilities across the European Union.

Nscale, a European Headquartered AI-native infrastructure platform operating globally, selected Start Campus’ AI-ready site for its strategic location, deployment readiness and ability to scale. The infrastructure and first deployment are set to be live by Q1 2026 at the SINES Data Campus.

NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 is built for high-performance AI inference and training and is purpose built for high performance of development, training and deployment of larger and more complex AI models.

The deployment at Start Campus supports rack densities surpassing 130kW, delivering the power and cooling required for advanced AI workloads and engineered to stay ahead of rapidly advancing AI needs.

The deployment by Nscale and Start Campus directly aligns with Portugal’s position as a leading force in the European Union’s AI economy. The Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Castro Almeida, stated, “This investment in Sines confirms the international confidence in Portugal as a destination for innovation and technology, strengthening our position in the global digital economy and creating conditions to attract talent and high value-add investment. This is a remarkable example of how the country can lead the transition to a greener and smarter economy.”

Also commenting on the announcement, Miguel Pinto Luz, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing of Portugal, said: “Start Campus exemplifies two key aspects that are essential in the strategy for developing public policy around critical infrastructure. First, it reminds us that we must govern with future generations in mind, ensuring the long-term sustainability of public policy. Second, Sines demonstrates the convergence of the digital transition with Portugal’s unique geographic position – particularly this port, which holds a geostrategic role in becoming a leading digital hub for the future deployment of new submarine cables. This enables safe and sustainable investment in an ecosystem powered by renewable energy, aligned with our 2028 carbon neutrality targets. Together, we must bring this vision to life and make it a reality.”

Recent research by Copenhagen Economics underscores the scale of the digital infrastructure opportunity for Portugal. According to the study, data centre investment in the country is forecast to contribute up to €26 billion in GDP by 2030, creating tens of thousands of jobs and strengthening Portugal’s position as a hub for sovereign and sustainable digital infrastructure. Portugal’s location provides strong connectivity to the rest of the world, with high-capacity subsea cables like Equiano, 2Africa, EllaLink and many others providing ultra-low latency, global connectivity.

According to Portugal’s national grid operator, Redes Energeticas Nacionais (REN), renewable sources supplied 71% of the country’s electricity consumption in 2024 and rising to 81% of the national demand in the first quarter of 2025. According to data from the European Union, Portugal's overall energy prices are competitively below EU and Euro Area averages.

“This is a defining moment for Start Campus,” said Robert Dunn, CEO of Start Campus. “With SIN01 now at full capacity and being expanded on the back of oversubscribed demand, we’ve proven that the SINES Data Campus is one of the most desirable global locations prepared for ultra-dense, next-generation AI workloads. We're proud to partner with Nscale and NVIDIA on this flagship deployment. We are also excited to now fully focus on launching our next data centre, the 180MW SIN02 facility, on this pioneering campus.”

The SIN01 deployment marks an important step for future AI infrastructure projects in Portugal. With demand for high-density, sovereign and sustainable compute continuing to rise, Start Campus, and Nscale are providing the accelerated compute infrastructure and expertise needed to support the world’s most transformative technologies.

Josh Payne, CEO and founder of Nscale, commented, “AI needs the right environment to thrive – ones that combine scale, resilience and sustainability. This deployment underlines our ability to deliver advanced infrastructure in the European Union with the technical depth required for today’s most demanding workloads. Partnering with Start Campus ensures we can meet the needs of our customers while laying foundations for the next generation of AI.”

Recent announcements reflect how Nscale is scaling its European presence at pace. It is building the UK’s largest AI supercomputer with Microsoft at its Loughton campus and also working with industry partners to establish Stargate UK to support sovereign AI workloads. Alongside its joint venture with Aker ASA – which includes Stargate Norway and a multi-billion-dollar agreement with Microsoft – these initiatives underline Nscale’s growing influence in global AI infrastructure.