Microsoft / Nscale AI Data Center Campus (Sines, Portugal)
CSines, Alentejo Litoral, Portugal · PT · Microsoft Corporation
Environment
WRI Aqueduct 4.0, 2023, 2023
IEA Electricity Information 2022, Portugal, 2022
IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera), 2023
APA (Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente) — environmental impact assessment
Facility
Phase 1 capacity approximately 200 MW with 12,600 Nvidia Blackwell Ultra GPUs; ultimate campus capacity 1.2 GW. Nscale announced a €695M expansion in May 2026. Microsoft committed $10B to Portuguese AI data center investment (November 2025). Facility operator is Nscale / Start Campus.
Evidence (2 sources)
Confirms $10B Microsoft commitment, Sines location, 12,600 Blackwell Ultra GPU Phase 1, Nscale/Start Campus as operator, and Web Summit November 2025 announcement.
Microsoft announced $10 billion in AI data center investment in Portugal, anchored by the Nscale / Start Campus at Sines. Phase 1 will deploy 12,600 Nvidia Blackwell Ultra GPUs, scaling to 66,000+ Rubin GPUs in 2027. Microsoft President Brad Smith made the announcement at Web Summit Lisbon in November 2025.
Confirms €695M Nscale expansion, 200 MW Phase 1 scale, 1.2 GW campus target, and renewable energy sourcing from offshore wind and pumped hydro.
Nscale announced a €695M expansion of the Sines campus in May 2026, growing Phase 1 to approximately 200 MW and confirming the ultimate 1.2 GW campus target. The Sines site benefits from direct connection to Portugal's Atlantic offshore wind network and the Alqueva pumped-hydro storage system.
Community
Southern Portugal faces structurally increasing water stress under climate projections. The Sines industrial zone draws from the Santa Clara reservoir and coastal groundwater; significant new data center cooling demand has prompted questions from Portuguese environmental groups about water allocation under drought conditions.
Community flags document events recorded in public sources. They do not imply causal attribution or ongoing harm.