Nscale will deploy over 66,000 Nvidia Rubin GPUs at Portugal’s Start Campus for Microsoft.
This is a significant expansion on the previous agreement between Microsoft and Nscale. In the agreement, Nscale committed to deploy 12,600 GB300s at the data center in Sines, Portugal.
The Blackwell Ultra GPUs will be deployed at the first building of the Start Campus. Also, the expanded agreement will see Nscale investing an additional €230m ($268.9m) in “shared infrastructure”. It will also invest €465m ($543.7m) in a second 200MW building at the campus.
Nvidia Rubin GPUs Deployment Timeline
Moreover, Nscale will commence the deployment of the Nvidia Rubin GPUs in late 2027.
“This partnership enables the deployment of next-generation AI compute at the scale and efficiency required for frontier workloads. Building on a proven foundation, the expanded deployment in Sines, Portugal, creates one of the most advanced environments in Europe for high-density AI infrastructure. Also, it represents one of the largest AI infrastructure investments in Portugal’s history – and among the most significant in the EU – reflecting the surging demand we’re seeing for Nscale’s services,” said Josh Payne, CEO and founder of Nscale.
Robert Dunn, CEO of Start Campus, added: “Sines is one of Europe’s leading destinations for large-scale AI — strengthening Europe’s ability to support sovereign AI development with sustainability, resilience, and long-term planning at its core. Also, building on our existing agreement, this expansion by Nscale will be one of Europe’s largest Nvidia Vera Rubin NVL72 deployments.
“Additionally, as we progress towards our 1.2GW vision, our focus remains on delivering secure, sustainable, and globally connected infrastructure. Notably, this is underpinned by renewable energy and designed to support Europe’s long-term competitiveness in the AI era.”
Start Campus Capacity
Furthermore, Start Campus is ultimately planned to offer 1.2GW of capacity in Sines, Portugal. The first 26MW SIN01 launched in January 2025, with a total of six buildings planned. The campus will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, and is targeting a PUE of 1.1 and WUE of 0 by using the ocean for cooling.
Also, it has previously been reported that Microsoft plans to invest $10 billion in AI data centers on the campus.
Additionally, Microsoft and Nscale have a number of projects underway, also partnering in Norway, the UK, and the US. Previously, Nscale said it would provide Microsoft with 116,000 Nvidia GB300 GPUs across its entire partnership. Lastly, in April 2026, Microsoft contracted a further 30,000 Nvidia Rubin GPUs in Norway.
Global “Data Center Building Spree”
In a recent notable trend, many big companies are actively participating in the data center development market. Giants like Nvidia and Microsoft are making headway in Portugal with the development of Start Campus. Also, this development is seen in Africa with companies such as Visa planning to make footprint in Africa with a data center in Nigeria.
Microsoft Start Campus Expansion Project Factsheet
Location: Sines, Portugal
Investment: Over €10 billion (the largest-ever digital infrastructure investment in Portugal).
Key Partners: Microsoft, Start Campus (Developer), Nscale (Infrastructure & GPU Service Provider), and NVIDIA.
Capacity Vision: The site is fully permitted for up to 1.2GW of power capacity.
GPU Deployment:
Phase 1: Deployment of 12,600 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs in the first building.
Phase 2 (Expansion): Deployment of 66,000+ NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 GPUs. Also, this is scheduled to begin in late 2027.
Buildings:
Initial building currently operational/under deployment.
Second Building: A new 200MW facility funded by a €465 million investment from Nscale.
Shared Infrastructure: €230 million allocated for essential site-wide infrastructure.
