Microsoft will invest $10 billion (around €8.6 billion) in the Sines data centre. "We are investing $10 billion in Portugal, in Sines, with Start Campus and Nscale," said Brad Smith in an interview with Negócios newspaper, quoted by SIC Notícias, explaining that this investment "is greater than all the investments in data centres that the company has already made in Spain".
The president of the technology company, who is in Portugal for the Web Summit, stresses that the company is strengthening its commitment to Portugal, with investments that will make the country win the race to install an artificial intelligence (AI) gigafactory. "Interestingly, one of the biggest investments we are making this year in Europe is actually in Portugal," he said.
It should be remembered that, in October, Microsoft and Nscale confirmed themselves as the first tenants of the Start Campus building in Sines, where 12,600 state-of-the-art Nvidia processors are planned to be installed for the future Sines Data Centre.
According to the Microsoft executive, "there is a way of thinking about what we are doing in Portugal. Countries are competing in Europe for public funding from the European Union to build a gigafactory, and there is intense competition. Portugal has already won the bid with Microsoft because we have decided to build this AI gigafactory in Sines."
The Microsoft leader emphasised the strategic potential of Sines, highlighting the importance of the submarine cables that converge there as a connection point between North America and Europe. Brad Smith also pointed out that the investment reflects "a huge amount of work, the energy policy followed in Portugal, where energy is cheaper and the climate is good", also highlighting the broadband infrastructure that strengthens the country's competitiveness.
In his view, these conditions place Portugal in a privileged position on the European map of technological innovation. "This is good news for Portugal, which is in a very good position to compete, not only because of what it has gained over time, but also for future investments," he emphasised.