Nscale to Deploy Over 66,000 Nvidia Rubin GPUs for Microsoft at Portugal’s Start Campus
May 5, 2026
Nscale to Deploy Over 66,000 Nvidia Rubin GPUs for Microsoft at Portugal’s Start Campus
Nscale has significantly expanded its partnership with Microsoft, committing to deploy more than 66,000 Nvidia Rubin GPUs at the Start Campus data center in Sines, Portugal. The agreement marks a major escalation from a previous deal under which Nscale had planned to install 12,600 Nvidia GB300 Blackwell Ultra GPUs at the same location.
The Rubin GPUs, Nvidia’s next-generation architecture, are scheduled to begin deployment in late 2027. They will be housed in the first building of the Start Campus, while the expanded deal also includes a €230 million ($268.9 million) investment in shared infrastructure and an additional €465 million ($543.7 million) for a second 200MW building on the campus. The overall investment underscores the growing demand for high-density AI compute capacity in Europe.
“This partnership enables the deployment of next-generation AI compute at the scale and efficiency required for frontier workloads,” said Josh Payne, CEO and founder of Nscale. “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. It also 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.”
Robert Dunn, CEO of Start Campus, highlighted the strategic importance of the site. “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,” he said. “Building on our existing agreement, this expansion by Nscale will be one of Europe’s largest Nvidia Vera Rubin NVL72 deployments. As we progress towards our 1.2GW vision, our focus remains on delivering secure, sustainable, and globally connected infrastructure — underpinned by renewable energy and designed to support Europe’s long-term competitiveness in the AI era.”
Start Campus is ultimately planned to offer 1.2GW of capacity in Sines. The first 26MW building, 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 power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1 and a water usage effectiveness (WUE) of 0 by using ocean water for cooling. Microsoft has previously been reported to plan a $10 billion investment in AI data centers on the campus.
Beyond Portugal, Nscale and Microsoft are collaborating on projects in Norway, the UK, and the US. Across the entire partnership, Nscale has committed to providing Microsoft with 116,000 Nvidia GB300 GPUs. In April 2026, Microsoft also contracted an additional 30,000 Nvidia Rubin GPUs for deployment in Norway. The expansion in Sines positions Portugal as a critical hub for European AI infrastructure, reflecting a broader industry shift toward massive, sustainable data center campuses designed to support the next wave of generative AI workloads.
Source: datacenterdynamics
