Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) announced plans to invest $10 billion in a new artificial intelligence data hub in Sines, Portugal, positioning the country as one of Europe’s leading AI infrastructure hubs.
The project — developed in partnership with Start Campus, Nscale, and NVIDIA — will deploy 12,600 next-generation NVIDIA GPUs, marking one of Europe’s largest AI infrastructure investments to date.
🔹 Strategic Details
- 📍 Location: Sines, 150 km south of Lisbon
- ⚙️ Partners: Start Campus, Nscale, NVIDIA
- 💰 Total Microsoft Investment: $10 billion (multi-year)
- 🏗️ Start Campus Investment: €8.5 billion (~$9.9 billion) by 2030
- 🏢 Infrastructure: Six buildings planned — one already operational
“By strengthening Portugal’s AI infrastructure through collaboration with Nscale, NVIDIA, and Start Campus, we’re helping position Portugal as a benchmark for responsible and scalable AI in Europe,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft Vice Chair & President.
🔹 Why It Matters
- ⚡ AI Capacity: The deployment will expand Europe’s GPU and cloud computing infrastructure to meet growing global AI demand.
- 🌍 Energy Integration: Sines’ green energy projects will power the AI hub sustainably.
- 🌐 Connectivity Advantage: Portugal’s Atlantic subsea cable network makes it a strategic gateway linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Since OpenAI’s ChatGPT launch, data centre investments have surged globally, and Portugal is fast emerging as a strategic AI corridor for transcontinental digital infrastructure.