Start Campus inaugurates SIN01 Data Centre

Start Campus, a company focused on designing, building and operating a new generation of sustainable data centers, celebrated the official inauguration of SIN01 on Friday April 4, its first operational facility within the company’s 1.2-gigawatt (GW) SINES Data Campus.

The inauguration brought together national leaders and international stakeholders, including senior representatives from the Portuguese Government, the United States (U.S.) Embassy in Portugal and other national and international authorities. The ceremony underscores the strategic value of Start Campus and its role in anchoring one of the largest private digital infrastructure investments in Europe.

Located on Portugal’s southwest coast, SIN01 is now the largest data center facility ever commissioned in the country, almost doubling the country's total data center capacity. This is a pivotal milestone in positioning Portugal at the center of the global data economy, strengthening its role as a key hub for digital infrastructure in Europe and globally.

“Today, Sines becomes home to the country’s largest operational data center building – and it’s just the beginning,” said Robert Dunn, CEO of Start Campus. “SIN01 is the first chapter in Europe’s leading gigascale Cloud, AI and HPC data campus – built for the future, powered by renewables, and designed to scale. From day one, this project has been about collaboration – with customers, the community and the industry. Our state-of-the art facilities will strengthen the digital ecosystem, create new opportunities, attract talent, and provide a solid foundation for economic growth.” Dunn adds.

Funding

Start Campus’ shareholders, Davidson Kempner Capital Management and Pioneer Point Partners LLP, have provided the funding to privately deliver SIN01 without subsidies, public funds or tax benefits. Coupled with the support of a world-class U.S. bank, this investment marks a strong vote of confidence in Portugal’s digital and clean energy potential on the global stage.

 “We expect this campus to represent more than €8.5 billion in construction investment alone – and we anticipate our customers to invest multiples of that in infrastructure and technology deployments on-site,” said Dunn.

The full campus, once complete, is expected to comprise of six buildings across 1.2 GW of capacity, with grid access already secured. The construction of the next 180MW facility (SIN02) is expected to begin later in 2025.

“The Sines Project will continue to ensure Portugal is at the forefront of the race for the development of Artificial Intelligence, with major international technology companies already operating in our country," adds João Talone, Senior Advisor at Davidson Kempner.

As part of the ceremony, senior members of the Portuguese Government emphasised the SINES Data Campus as a symbol of national ambition and forward-looking infrastructure policy.

“With this pioneering development, Sines is consolidating its position as a strategic hub. I welcome the ecosystems that have developed here, powered by renewable energy, which hold great potential for retaining talent. There is an urgent need to combat the flight of qualified young professionals from Portugal. We cannot simply accept it,” says Miguel Pinto Luz, Minister for Infrastructure and Housing.

“This is yet another structuring investment for the Portuguese economy, helping to place Portugal in a strategic position in the data economy, taking advantage of Sines' privileged geographical location. It is an investment deeply committed to sustainability, which will bring more qualified jobs, diversifying economic activity in the region and contributing to the construction of a long-term digital ecosystem. It joins other major investments that have demonstrated that Portugal is a country with a good value proposition for investors,” says Pedro Reis, Minister of Economy.

The presence of U.S. Embassy officials at the event reaffirmed the importance of the development in strengthening transatlantic ties.

“This inauguration represents one of the largest U.S. and foreign investments in Portugal’s history. It’s a game changer and we are proud to support this initiative that will enhance Portugal’s global connectivity, deepen bilateral ties, and create thousands of jobs in Portugal and the United States,” adds Douglas A. Koneff, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon.

Portugal's Energy Advantage and Sustainability

SIN01 is optimised to meet the high-performance demands of AI, hyperscale cloud, and digital acceleration—leveraging Portugal’s unique position as a low-carbon, high-availability power hub. The country offers one of the most competitive energy environments in Europe, supported by a growing supply of renewable capacity. In 2024, 87.4% of Portugal’s electricity generation came from renewables, according to Eurostat, making it one of the greenest grids in Europe.

Building an AI Gateway for Europe

The SINES Data Campus, home to the SIN01 facility, offers excellent subsea and terrestrial connectivity, delivering competitive latencies to all strategic European and global economic centres. Enabling access to international fiber cables via carrier-neutral facilities, it enables seamless integration between submarine and terrestrial networks.

To date, more than 2 million labor hours have gone into delivering SIN01, involving thousands of professionals and local suppliers. With the full 1.2GW campus expected to be built over the coming years, Start Campus will continue to play a major role in job creation and regional economic development.

“From the edge of the Atlantic, we are building the backbone of Europe’s AI future,” said Dunn. “And we are proud that this begins here, in Sines, Portugal,” Dunn concludes.