Start Campus Announces Partnership with Colt Technology Services
This partnership will enhance the current route into a comprehensive ecosystem that provides high capacity, diverse routing options and ultra-low latency connectivity
SINES, PORTUGAL – September 26, 2023 – Start Campus, the company responsible for the development of 100% green energy ecosystems, today announced it has partnered with Colt Technology Services (Colt), the digital infrastructure company. This collaboration enables Colt to expand the footprint of its Colt IQ Network locally and globally, and make Start Campus’s SINES Project its home to power the connectivity requirements of the customers. This partnership will enhance the current route into a comprehensive ecosystem that provides high capacity, diverse routing options, and ultra-low latency connectivity.
The SINES Project is one of the largest hyperscale data center ecosystems in Europe, acting as a gateway between Europe, Africa and the Americas. Powered by renewable and affordable energy, Start Campus offers a 100% sustainable campus powered by 24×7 renewable energy facilities resulting in a low total cost of operations for its customers. At the southwestern edge of Europe, the SINES Project at Start Campus is a unique location for subsea cables, with multiple providers planning to land their systems there, including EllaLink, which connects Europe, South America, and Africa. The location of the Sines Project enables Portugal to act as a connectivity hub for Europe, providing access via transatlantic cable landings and Colt’s terrestrial network routes.
“We are thrilled to partner with Colt, a company that shares our vision for sustainability,” says Afonso Salema, Chief Officer Executive (CEO) of Start Campus. “This partnership will enable us to explore innovative solutions that maximize efficiency while minimizing environmental impact. This partnership helps position Portugal as a leading global digital hub. We are eager to see what the future holds for this collaboration.”
“As Colt remains committed to bolstering our global digital infrastructure, our partnership with Start Campus marks a significant stride towards establishing the Iberian Peninsula as a pivotal global digital hub,” says Carlos Jesus, VP Global Service Delivery and Portugal Country Manager of Colt Technology Services. “We are also excited to partner with Start Campus because of our shared vision for sustainability. At Colt, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is by design and embedded in everything we do, from intelligent network design to selecting our partners.”
In 2021, Start Campus announced the project SINES 4.0©, an hyperscale data center, with a capacity of up to 495 MW, in Sines, Portugal, representing an investment of up to €3.5 billion. It will be one of Europe’s largest data center campuses, responding to the large international technology companies’ growing demand.
For more information about Colt, visit www.colt.net
For more information about Start Campus, visit www.startcampus.pt
About Start Campus
Start Campus is responsible for the development of the SINES Project, a Hyperscaler data center campus with a capacity of up to 495 MW in Sines, an investment of up to €3.5 billion. It will be one of the largest data center campuses in Europe and meets the growing demand from large international technology companies. It will create up to 1,200 direct highly skilled jobs and 8,000 indirect jobs by 2028. It is located in Sines and will benefit from all the strategic advantages such as seawater cooling systems, access to the high voltage electrical grid, connectivity through the connection to high capacity international networks of fiber optic cables with North America, Africa and South America. SINES Project will be one of the largest data center ecosystems with 100% green energy at competitive prices in a premium location in Europe, which is the perfect gateway to Europe and the world.
To learn more about Start Campus, visit www.startcampus.pt
About Colt Technology Services
Colt Technology Services (Colt) is a global digital infrastructure company which creates extraordinary connections to help businesses succeed. Powered by amazing people and like-minded partners, Colt is driven by its purpose: to put the power of the digital universe in the hands of its customers, wherever, whenever and however they choose.
Since 1992, Colt has set itself apart through its deep commitment to its customers, growing from its heritage in the City of London to more than 60 offices around the world. The powerful Colt IQ Network connects 222 cities and 32 countries with more than 1000 data centers, 51 Metropolitan Area Networks and over 31,000 buildings across Europe, Asia and North America’s largest business hubs. Privately owned, Colt is one of the most financially sound companies in the sector. Obsessed with delivering industry-leading customer experience, Colt is guided by its dedication to customer innovation, by its values and its responsibility to its customers, partners, people and planet.
The green giant data center campus in Sines is set to welcome the largest neutral interconnection ecosystem on the planet
SINES, PORTUGAL – September 21, 2023 – Start Campus, the company responsible for the development of 100% green energy ecosystems, announces that its SINES, Portugal location will soon be home to DE-CIX, the world’s leading Internet Exchange (IX) operator. DE-CIX, also home to the largest carrier and data center neutral interconnection ecosystem on the planet, is expanding its Southern Europe IX footprint with a new Point of Presence (PoP) at Start Campus’s SINES Project, approximately 100 km from Lisbon, Portugal.
Start Campus’s 100% sustainable data center campus, powered by 24×7 renewable energy facilities, will be the site of a future access point for DE-CIX Lisbon, with direct connectivity to other DE-CIX IXs in Southern Europe, such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Marseille. When services are live in 2024, SINES will emerge as a key intercontinental connectivity hub and an important exchange point for data traffic going to and from Europe, North America, South America, and Africa. Sines is uniquely positioned at Europe’s Southwestern edge, and multiple subsea providers plan to land their systems at Start Campus’s SINES Project, including EllaLink, which interconnects Europe, South America, and Africa.
“We are thrilled to welcome DE-CIX to Start Campus and to offer our customers an industry-leading IX solution that will keep local traffic local while routing data more efficiently across DE-CIX’s interconnected footprint, which spans multiple metro regions, continents, and hundreds of data centers,” comments Fabiola Bordino, Head of Sustainability, Communication and Marketing at Start Campus. “As we build the industry’s first 100% sustainable, 24×7 renewable energy powered data center campus, companies like DE-CIX are critical. Enabling ease of interconnection and reach exemplifies our mission of creating a robust digital ecosystem to benefit the industry and our local market.”
“DE-CIX is excited to help herald in a new era of connectivity in Sines, Portugal with Start Campus’s SINES project,” adds Theresa Bobis, Regional Director, Southern Europe at DE-CIX. “Sines is set to be home to multiple subsea systems interconnecting and serving Southern Europe, coupled with the enhanced proximity and reach to Africa and other European markets, DE-CIX is excited to expand its Southern Europe footprint to Sines, fortifying connectivity for Portugal and beyond.”
DE-CIX offers interconnection services in close to 50 metro markets in Europe, Africa, North America, the Middle East, and Asia. Accessible from data centers in over 600 cities worldwide, DE-CIX interconnects thousands of network operators (carriers), Internet service providers (ISPs), content providers, and enterprise networks from over 100 countries and offers peering cloud and interconnection services. DE-CIX in Frankfurt, Germany, is one of the largest Internet Exchanges in the world, with a data volume of almost 34 Exabytes per year (as of 2022) and close to 1,100 connected networks.
Start Campus is dedicated to utilizing strategic locations to enable gateway connectivity. Their partnership with DE-CIX marks an important step in bringing their vision of sustainably supported data center ecosystems to life, with ocean water cooling systems, high-voltage power grids, and high-capacity international fiber optic cables ready to channel IX traffic by late 2023.
For more information about DE-CIX, visit www.de-cix.net.
For more information about Start Campus, visit www.startcampus.pt.
About Start Campus
Start Campus is responsible for the development of the SINES Project, a Hyperscaler data center campus with a capacity of up to 495 MW in Sines, an investment of up to €3.5 billion. It will be one of the largest data center campuses in Europe and meets the growing demand from large international technology companies. It will create up to 1,200 direct highly skilled jobs and 8,000 indirect jobs by 2028. It is located in Sines and will benefit from all the strategic advantages such as seawater cooling systems, access to the high voltage electrical grid, connectivity through the connection to high capacity international networks of fiber optic cables with North America, Africa and South America. SINES Project will be one of the largest data center ecosystems with 100% green energy at competitive prices in a premium location in Europe, which is the perfect gateway to Europe and the world. To learn more about Start Campus, visit www.startcampus.pt.
About DE-CIX
DE-CIX (German Commercial Internet Exchange) is the world’s leading operator of Internet Exchanges (IXs). DE-CIX offers its interconnection services in close to 50 metro-markets in Europe, Africa, North America, the Middle East, and Asia. Accessible from data centers in over 600 cities world-wide, DE-CIX interconnects thousands of network operators (carriers), Internet service providers (ISPs), content providers and enterprise networks from more than 100 countries, and offers peering, cloud, and interconnection services. DE-CIX in Frankfurt, Germany, is one of the largest Internet Exchanges in the world, with a data volume of almost 34 Exabytes per year (as of 2022) and close to 1,100 connected networks. More than 200 colleagues from over 30 different nations form the foundation of the DE-CIX success story in Germany and around the world. Since the beginning of the commercial Internet, DE-CIX has had a decisive influence — in a range of leading global bodies, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) — in codifying guiding principles for the Internet of the present and the future. As the operator of critical IT infrastructure, DE-CIX bears a great responsibility for the seamless, fast, and secure data exchange between people, enterprises, and organizations at its locations around the globe. Further information at www.de-cix.net.
Lisbon, Portugal – September 12, 2023 – Start Campus, an innovator in the site selection, design, and building 100% green energy ecosystems, will have Fabiola Bordino, Head of Sustainability, Communication & Marketing, speak on the future of digital infrastructure expansion across Europe at the Datacloud ESG Summit 2023 on Tuesday, September 26, in Oslo, Norway. Fabiola has over a decade of experience in sustainability and digital transformation. Fabiola utilizes her passion for sustainability to help transform how data center companies can enable digital transformation while minimizing the effects on the planet and having a more positive impact on communities.
Fabiola will be a featured speaker on the panel “Establishing a Futureproof Foothold Beyond FLAP-D” at 11:50 AM local time. In light of the new-build moratorium in Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany, key financial hubs that have typically been first choices for new builds are off the market, requiring companies to look elsewhere for their future infrastructure needs. This panel will examine the importance of selecting locations when finding a home for a company’s infrastructure, weighing the benefits of retrofitting existing facilities versus building a ground-up green facility according to the latest sustainability standards, and if FLAP-D (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin) is still a contributing factor.
The Datacloud ESG Summit 2023 unites data centers, cloud providers, hyperscale, enterprise, equipment vendors, energy providers, real estate, financiers, network providers, tower, construction, and regulators, all of whom are seeking ways to run, or invest in, greener business. The event will open up a dialogue, find solutions, and show the world what’s possible when we collaborate toward a greener future.
WHAT: Panel discussion: Establishing a Futureproof Foothold Beyond FLAP-D
WHERE: Grand Hotel Oslo, Oslo, Norway
WHEN: 26, September 2023 at 11:50 AM local time
WHO: Fabiola Bordino, Start Campus | Wojciech Stramski, Beyond.pl
To learn more about Start Campus, visit: https://www.startcampus.pt/en/
About Start Campus
Start Campus is responsible for the development of the SINES project, a Hyperscale Data Centre campus with a capacity of 495MW in Sines, in an investment of up to 3.5 billion euros. It will be one of the largest data center campuses in Europe and meets the growing demand from large international technology companies. It will create up to 1,200 direct highly skilled jobs and 8,000 indirect jobs by 2028. It is located in Sines and will benefit from all the strategic advantages such as cooling systems with sea water, access to the high-voltage electricity grid, connectivity through the connection to international high-capacity networks of fiber optic cables with North America, Africa and South America. SINES project will be one of the largest data center ecosystems with 100% green energy at competitive prices in a premium location in Europe, which is the perfect gateway to Europe and the world. The first building is scheduled to open in end-2023.
Pioneering water-cooling technology set to elevate energy efficiencies and cooling capabilities at this emerging Atlantic Hub
Lisbon, September 7, 2023 – Start Campus, the company responsible for developing the SINES Project — a 495 MW hyperscale data center development — and Nautilus Data Technologies announce a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Nautilus’ cooling technology to support sustainable cooling for Start Campus’s SINES Project operations.
Under the terms of the MoU, Start Campus will integrate Nautilus’ pioneering zero-water consuming cooling system, a patented technology proven to elevate energy efficiency and cooling capabilities across various phases of the project. As stated in the agreement, Start Campus and Nautilus will be working together to implement cooling technology during Phase 1 of construction, currently underway in Sines. The units will aid in enhancing existing cooling designs at the campus to fulfill Start Campus’s high-density, liquid-cooled server requirements. In Phase 2, Start Campus plans to leverage the full Nautilus’ integrated technology and delivery solution for its 120 MW expansion.
“At Start Campus, we believe in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the data center ecosystem,” says Afonso Salema, CEO of Start Campus. “Start Campus is always thrilled to find dedicated partners who share our vision for a sustainable and efficient data center model. This partnership with Nautilus aligns perfectly with our mission to explore innovative solutions that maximize efficiency while minimizing environmental impact. We can’t wait to see the future of this collaboration.”
“Nautilus provides the foundational infrastructure that, when combined with partners like Start Campus, paves the way for the most efficient and sustainable data centers,” says Rob Pfleging, CEO of Nautilus Data Technologies, “Teaming up with Start Campus, a visionary in the data center sector, allows us to elevate the efficiency and environmental stewardship of our solutions. Together, we are reshaping the blueprint of tomorrow’s data center landscape.”
The signed agreement solidifies the shared ambition of Start Campus and Nautilus to revolutionize data center development through green innovation. Their combined expertise promises to shape the future of the industry, embracing sustainable practices and advanced cooling solutions.
As the partnership evolves, both entities foresee Nautilus’ patented water-cooling system playing an integral role in Start Campus’ designs. The mutual goal is to incorporate the full breadth of Nautilus’ cutting-edge technology across future projects, driving greater efficiency and sustainability in the data center sector.
For more information about Start Campus’s SINES project, visit https://www.startcampus.pt/en/.
About Nautilus Data Technologies
Nautilus Data Technologies is leading the charge in sustainable data center innovation with water-cooled data center solutions that provide the fastest speed to market while reducing the impact on nature. Nautilus infrastructure is designed, built, and operated for sustainability and efficiency, offering unrivaled performance outcomes. The company is headquartered in San Ramon, CA, and operates globally with a growing network of international suppliers and developers. For more information, visit https://nautilusdt.com
About Start Campus
Start Campus is responsible for the development of the SINES Project, a Hyperscaler data center campus with a capacity of up to 495 MW in Sines, an investment of up to €3.5 billion. It will be one of the largest data center campuses in Europe and meets the growing demand from large international technology companies. It will create up to 1,200 direct highly skilled jobs and 8,000 indirect jobs by 2028. It is located in Sines and will benefit from all the strategic advantages such as seawater cooling systems, access to the high voltage electrical grid, connectivity through the connection to high capacity international networks of fiber optic cables with North America, Africa and South America. SINES Project will be one of the largest data center ecosystems with 100% green energy at competitive prices in a premium location in Europe, which is the perfect gateway to Europe and the world. To learn more about Start Campus, visit www.startcampus.pt.
We believe that Start Campus is in the forefront of establishing industry-wide sustainability standards with its commitment to developing green giant ecosystems — 100% green energy sustainable data centers . By prioritizing transparency and taking decisive action, Start Campus aims to inspire others in the industry and drive positive change on a local, national, and global scale.
Sustainable Earth
Today, the rapid pace of global digital transformation and AI development is driving volumes of data creation, storage, and usage leading to surging demand for data centers. While much has been achieved to address the power needs of these facilities, a change is needed if we are to continue to power digital and energy transitions while at the same time meeting goals for net zero emissions.
As a leading data center developer committed to sustainable practices and 24/7 renewable energy power, we at Start Campus want to share insights into its elevated sustainability standards, policies and good practices through this four-part blog series, with the goal of creating needed awareness, encouraging widespread adoption of best practices, and influencing new industry best practices.
At Start Campus, we believe in actively designing, measuring, reporting, and continuously improving sustainability-related standards goals to effectively assess our environmental, social, and economic impact. This commitment ensures that we align with the targets set by the Paris Climate Agreement and fulfill the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.
We take pride in being pioneers developing a comprehensive chain of connectivity embedded with sustainable initiatives at every step, fostering a collaborative ecosystem that drives holistic sustainability.
The Start Campus Sustainable Development Goals serve as guiding principles as we move toward global sustainability. To achieve these goals, we have established four Sustainability Pillars:
- For the Planet
- For the Community
- For Start Campus
- For the Industry
For the Planet
In this first blog of our four-part series, we shed light on Start Campus’ Sustainability Guidelines and what sets us apart from other data center service providers whose efforts are limited to carbon offsetting by purchasing carbon credits from unrelated third parties. At Start Campus, we take innovative carbon offsetting initiatives right at our campus sites through a range of initiatives.
At our SINES Project, a 495 MW hyperscale data center campus, we have designed an energy-independent system powered exclusively by renewable energ y, and hybrid solar/wind parks supported by batteries and green power purchase agreements. This approach enables access to:
- 100% green power 24/7 at competitive prices, allowing us to offer sustainable and cost benefits to our customers.
- Boast an exceptional Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating of 1.1, ensuring optimal energy efficiency.
From the very beginning of the construction phase, we incorporated carbon modeling for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions scopes 1 (direct emissions), 2 (indirect emissions), and 3 (other emissions), going beyond industry norms that only address emissions scope 1 and 2. By utilizing state-of-the-art green concrete and recycled scrap metal in the construction of our SIN01 building, Start Campus has successfully achieved an outstanding 16% reduction in carbon emissions . These sustainability-driven initiatives not only benefit our own data center facilities but also influence the broader data center industry and supply chain, promoting the use of eco-friendly construction materials.
Biodiversity and Sustainability
Another key aspect of our sustainability focus is the restoration of natural habitats and the promotion of local biodiversity. We actively engage in planting, nurturing, and conserving native vegetation, as well as constructing water retention basins in strategic locations to promote endogenous species to thrive within our data center campus.
Collaborating with local universities, we identify suitable vegetation to support biodiversity while maintaining a net zero biodiversity loss. By purposefully placing shade-loving vegetation around our buildings and beneath solar panels, we optimize space utilization while creating carbon sinks. Over time, these carbon sinks will not only contribute to significant cost benefits, particularly with the anticipated rise in carbon tax, but also help us achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2025 (with a Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE) of 0) and full carbon neutrality by 2028 at the Start Campus SINES location.
Start Campus works to synergize with neighboring industries to reclaim waste heat and explore potential monetization of waste streams. For instance, we leverage the cold ocean water rejected by the nearby liquefied natural gas facility that uses it as process water for their gasification processes, colling it down and creating huge efficiencies for our colling process and promoting circular economy within an industrial area.
Our approach fosters holistic industry collaborations, driving operational efficiencies, lowering operational costs, and moving the industry toward a green future.
This blog article highlights Start Campus’s guidelines to address environmental sustainability — more specifically, it outlines what Start Campus is implementing to elevate the company and industry’s sustainability standards.
For more information about Start Campus, visit Sustainability for the Planet.
EXA Infrastructure responds to growing terrestrial data traffic in Europe with investment in two new diverse and redundant routes in Sines, Portugal
SINES, PORTUGAL – July 6, 2023 – Start Campus, the company responsible for the development of 100% green energy ecosystems, announces EXA Infrastructure (EXA), the largest dedicated digital infrastructure platform connecting Europe and North America, has committed to invest in two new diverse and redundant terrestrial routes in Sines, Portugal.
EXA’s strategic network expansion in Sines links Start Campus’s SINES Project, a 495 MW hyperscale data center development, to its backbone in Madrid, Spain. The new connectivity hub will be the gateway to European, African, and American digital platforms.
“We are excited to partner with EXA and bring these new network routes to Sines, Portugal,” says Afonso Salema, Chief Executive Officer at Start Campus. “While we are connecting our SINES project, EXA’s newly constructed network lays the foundation for a new era of connectivity for Europe and the rest of the world. We are building a brand new continental crossroad to enable diverse and redundant access to key markets throughout Europe and beyond. EXA’s commitment to bridging our SINES Project with Madrid, Spain, with new routes, is one step of many to enable and fortify high-speed multi-continental connectivity to and from Portugal.”
The key location of the SINES Project further strengthens Portugal as a connectivity hub for Europe, providing access via transatlantic cable landings and EXA’s expansive terrestrial network routes.
EXA Infrastructure, VP of Network Investments, Steve Roberts said: “EXA continues to invest and expand our network to ensure we are enabling the growth and success of our customers. We are witnessing an increasing demand for enhanced connectivity routes in and out of southern Europe and we are pleased to partner with Start Campus to power this demand by connecting Sines to our pan-European backbone.”
Set to be ready for service in late 2023, SINES Project will be one of the largest Hyperscaler data center ecosystems in a strategic European location, acting as a gateway between Europe, Africa, the Americas and beyond. The project benefits from ocean water cooling systems, high-voltage power grids, and high-capacity international fiber optic cables with connections to Africa and the Americas. Being fully powered by renewable and affordable energy, Start Campus offers a 100% sustainable campus powered by 24 x 7 renewable energy facilities resulting in a low Total Cost of Operations (TCO) for its customers.
Last year, Start Campus signed an agreement with EllaLink, the company that recently inaugurated the first direct high-speed connection by submarine cable between Europe and South America. The partnership provides a framework of cooperation between Start Campus and EllaLink guaranteeing that the infrastructures interact, knowledge is shared and synergies are established to promote Sines as a new digital hub in global data network systems.
Today, Sines is directly connected to Lisbon and Madrid in Europe, Fortaleza, São Paulo & Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. In the future, the connectivity will be extended to Marseille, Barcelona and Casablanca and furthermore to the United States, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
For more information about EXA Infrastructure, visit www.exainfra.net.
About Start Campus
Start Campus is responsible for the development of the project SINES, a Hyperscaler Data Center campus with a capacity of up to 495 MW in Sines, an investment of up to €3.5 billion. It will be one of Europe’s largest data center campuses and responds to growing demand from large international technology companies. It will create up to 1,200 highly skilled direct jobs and 8,000 indirect jobs by 2028. Due to the location of Sines, will be an added benefit from all strategic advantages such as seawater cooling systems, access to the high voltage power grid, connectivity through the connection to high-capacity international fiber optic cables with North America, Africa, and South America. The SINES project will be one of the largest data center ecosystems with 100% green energy at competitive prices in a premium European location, which is the perfect gateway to Europe and the world.
About EXA Infrastructure
Headquartered in London, UK, EXA Infrastructure is the largest dedicated digital infrastructure platform connecting Europe and North America, and owns 114,000 kilometers of fiber network across 34 countries. EXA’s network connects 300 cities and offers 13 Tier 3-equivalent data centers, with sub-sea routes that include three transatlantic cables, one the lowest latency link between Europe and North America. EXA is wholly-owned by I Squared Capital.
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Start Campus’s Head of Sustainability and Marketing Fabiola Bordino was featured on an episode of the DCD>Inside Portugal podcast on May 16, 2023. On the recent episode, she addressed Sustainability in Data Centers: how Portugal can shape the future.
Start Campus, an organization developing cutting-edge sustainable data center services, is located in Portugal, and is leading the market in developing 100% green energy ecosystems with their SINES Project.
“I think the challenges are not just for data centers in Portugal,” Fabiola says. “They are for data centers all over the world. The most pressing of these [challenges], in my opinion, is energy.”
Because the need for data centers is growing at a rapid speed, the need for energy consumption is massive. In 2018, a study was carried out at the European Commission that predicted 2.7% of energy in Europe came from data centers. Predictions show that by 2030, this will increase to 28%.
“The biggest challenge is to move from typically fossil energy to renewable energy and how Europe, and now more specifically Portugal, can offer a mix of renewable sources,” says Fabiola. “We are in a great location in that we have about 75% of renewable energy. Start Campus is able to use strong and complementary renewable energy through solar and wind energy — when we don’t have one, the other will be present. This is one of the best ways we have to support sustainable energy and be able to have sustainable data centers, by using the natural location to optimize energy sourcing.”
One of the highest energy consumption factors faced by hyperscale data centers is cooling, which Start Campus addresses through an innovative zero-consumption ocean water cooling system. Start Campus is strategically located on the coast of Sines, Portugal, which allows for waterless operations. The green giant utilizes the ocean as a heat sink, ejecting the heat created by IT equipment directly into seawater using heat exchangers. Two sources of seawater are used — a direct intake from the ocean and repurposed pre-cooled seawater. A nearby liquified natural gas (LNG) import terminal also uses seawater for the opposite effect of heating and re-gasifying natural gas. Instead of returning to the ocean as a by-product of the process, this pre-cooled seawater is used again by Start Campus, increasing the total efficiency. The result is Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1 and negligible Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) resulting in a WUE of 0.
SINES Project is built to empower long-term digital transformation for hyperscalers. With the various technological advancements that the company is implementing across its data center campus, Fabiola mentions that customers that choose to use immersive cooling solutions have the possibility to quadruple the effective use of whitespace in the already highly-sustainable facilities. She continues by stating, “As technology evolves, we will be able to use more power in these racks because we have made the cooling system even more efficient. This will allow us to reduce not only the data center space, but also the energy they consume. This is huge for the future because we will be able to reuse data centers that are designed and built to be critical and have a power, let’s say, of 10MW. We will be able to increase that to 40MW using the same space by adapting the equipment.”
This ocean water-cooling approach allows Start Campus to offer prospective customers a green way to support operations with industry leading power usage efficiency on its data center campus in Sines. By basing operations on this model, industries can create a sustainable and energy-efficient way to approach cooling.
Start Campus’s SINES Project has created a model on which the data center construction industry can create highly efficient green giants with optimal services, and support a sustainable future in the telecommunications world.
Data created, consumed, and stored has grown from 2 ZettaBytes (ZB) in 2010, 64 ZB in 2020 to more than 180 ZB expected in 2025. It’s safe to say that the digital infrastructure industry is facing immense growth. But the industry is also facing a global talent gap. Skilled resources are needed to help support and foster this explosive growth. As older generations age out of the industry (aka the gray tsunami), younger generations replace them. The conundrum is that there are not enough skilled people to accommodate growth and the gray tsunami at the same time.
This problem begs the question – who is skilled to do the jobs that the digital economy needs?
Data center jobs exist for every level of skill and many cross-functional areas of expertise. Apprenticeships and internships are being used as one avenue to fill vacancies, however, more work is needed to bring training and education to those who could adapt their experiences to fill required roles. College curricula have simply not maintained pace with demand. Further, many jobs in the industry do not require a formal university degree.
The digital economy needs data centers. These warehouse-sized facilities host the computing infrastructure that powers and drives data across the internet. The rising need for data centers has increased the need for skilled workers. According to Gartner, By 2025, “labor volatility” will cause 40% of organizations to report a material business loss, forcing a shift in talent strategy from acquisition to resilience. “The global data center market is challenged by a lack of available and qualified people. According to a study by Uptime Institute, global data center staff requirements are forecasted to grow by approximately 300,000 to 2.3 million people in 2025, up from 2 million in 2019.”[1] By 2025, there will be a need for 80,000 new data center staff in Europe alone. So, what should data centers do to mitigate this predictive trend?
Data centers need to invest as much in their personnel as they do in their facilities. Management needs to take the time to train employees, form a mentorship program, and invest time at local colleges and universities teaching the next generation of workers. There is also a gender gap that can be filled by employing more females and ensuring income equality across all positions.
Sines, Portugal is a good example of a tight-knit community that invests heavily in its local workforce. And – it’s an immensely underserved market for the global digital economy. By developing in the region, Start Campus is creating a new data center hub ripe with renewable and sustainable energy solutions, empowering a community to embrace technology that will no doubt leapfrog the country to be among the leading locations in Europe.
One example is the Colleges for European Data Center Education (CEDCE) Project which is developed in close partnership between several universities, Start Campus and Escola Tecnológica do Litoral Alentejano (local Sines technical school). CEDCE highlights the importance of European collaboration on data center education and how it plays an important role in the quality of education and employment opportunities. Start Campus also invests in creating more awareness of the industry as a whole. Start Campus is working together with National universities and regional technical schools, such as Instituto Politécnico de Setubal, Universidade de Évora, Universidade do Algarve, and Escola Tecnológica do Litoral Alentejano. They are working together to define and revise the course curriculum to adjust the pedagogical offer for the future of the industry as a whole.
Start Campus is responsible for the development of the SINES project, a Hyperscale Data Center campus located in Sines, Portugal. Start Campus sets the standard of how data center companies invest in people as they address the talent gap.
Start Campus is setting a precedent to address the talent gap in the digital infrastructure industry, but it takes an industry-wide effort to address the issue. To learn more about how Start Campus is addressing the talent gap, visit https://www.startcampus.pt/en/.
[1] Savills: European Data Centres Deep dive in the data sphere, November 2022