How Sustainable is Portugal's Largest Data Centre?
It's no secret: data centres are huge drain on energy resources. The vast arrays of computers they house require constant cooling, without which they overheat and malfunction.
Right now, data centres account for 2-3% of global electricity usage, but that figure is expected to grow even larger as the AI sector expands.
John Pettigrew, CEO of National Grid believes that data centre energy usage will grow sixfold in the coming decade.
Unless the data centres of the future can be powered solely by renewable energy, they will be one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases.
Data centre companies understand this problem and are moving to address it. One such company is Start Campus, which is currently constructing the largest (and most sustainable) data centre in Portugal.
- Two million labour hours
- 1.2GW campus expected to be built in the coming years
- A major role in job creation and regional economic development
Inside Portugal's largest data centre
This data centre is known as the SINES Data Campus and, when completed, it will be Europe's first-ever gigascale campus.
The first building (SIN01) of the campus is now operational, marking the first piece of a complex which is set to be a world leader amongst sustainable cloud, AI and HPC data centres.
This facility is powered entirely by renewable energy and employs sustainable seawater cooling techniques to achieve a design Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1, notably avoiding water consumption in the process.
This €8.5bn (US$9.69bn) privately funded project is supported by Davidson Kempner Capital Management and Pioneer Point Partners.
Its goal is to position Portugal as a global leader in digital infrastructure through an investment deeply committed to sustainability.
- 87.4% of Portugal’s electricity generation came from renewables in 2024, making it one of the greenest grids in Europe
The people behind SINES Data Campus
Start Campus, the company behind the SINES Data Campus, is a company with strong sustainable credentials. One of its primary missions is to design and operate a new generation of sustainable data centres.
When fully operational, the facility will almost double the country’s total data centre capacity, strengthening both Portugal and Europe’s digital infrastructure on a global scale.
“This initiative has always been about collaboration – with customers, the community and the industry," says Robert Dunn, CEO of Start Campus.
"Our state-of-the-art facilities are designed to enhance the digital ecosystem, attract talent, create new opportunities and provide a solid foundation for economic growth.”
“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.”
Once complete, the campus will host six buildings across 1.2 GW of capacity, with construction on the next 180 MW facility (SIN02) set to begin in late 2025.
The Portuguese government, which has worked closely with the SINES Data Campus team on this project, hopes that this facility can be an example of sustainability in the data centre sector.
“With this pioneering development, SINES is consolidating its position as a strategic hub," says Miguel Pinto Luz, Minister for Infrastructure and Housing.
"The ecosystems powered by renewable energy here hold great potential for retaining talent, which is essential for the country's future.”
“This is a strategic investment for the Portuguese economy, placing Portugal in a prime position in the data economy, and is deeply committed to sustainability.
"It will create more qualified jobs, diversify economic activities in the region and contribute to the construction of a long-term digital ecosystem.”
Optimising sustainability in data centres
With SINES Data Campus, Portugal is positioning itself as a low-carbon, high-availability power hub, offering one of the most competitive energy environments in Europe, backed by a growing renewable energy supply.
The SINES Data Campus offers both subsea and terrestrial connectivity, providing competitive latencies to strategic European and global economic centres.
By enabling access to international fibre cables through carrier-neutral facilities, the campus ensures seamless integration between submarine and terrestrial networks.
“From the edge of the Atlantic, we are building the backbone of Europe’s AI future, and we are proud that this begins here, in Sines, Portugal," says
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