Start Campus achieves OCP certification for Portugal data centres

Author: Simon Rowley

Start Campus, a company focused on designing, building and operating a new generation of sustainable data centres, announced today that its operational SIN01 and planned SIN02 data centres have been officially certified as Open Compute Project (OCP) Ready v2 for Hyperscale data centres.

These are the first facilities in Southern Europe, and just the third and fourth in Europe, to meet this new benchmark. Start Campus says that the rigorous assessment underscores the company’s commitment to open standards, sustainability, and scalable digital infrastructure.

The OCP Ready certification, granted by the Open Compute Project Foundation, recognises that SIN01 and SIN02 meet the highest standards set for hyperscale data centres and AI/HPC workloads. This certification is a mark of trust, providing a competitive edge and a strategic advantage by ensuring faster deployments, reduced total cost of ownership, and seamless integration with cutting-edge technologies such as AI and high-performance computing (HPC). The OCP Ready v2 facilities are designed with openness, modularity, and interoperability at their core, delivering superior energy efficiency and environmental leadership.

To achieve OCP Ready certification, Start Campus had to undergo a detailed OCP Ready v2 assessment of its operational SIN01 and planned SIN02 facilities, which assess critical factors such as logistics, site access, security, base building infrastructure, and network connectivity. These comprehensive assessments ensure the facilities meet the specific needs of hyperscale companies and align with both OCP standards and industry best practices. This certification confirms that Start Campus’ data centres are optimised to support hyperscale demands and future-proofed for the evolving digital landscape.

“OCP Ready certification means our clients can confidently deploy today’s most advanced compute infrastructure, knowing the foundation is built for tomorrow,” says Rob Dunn, CEO of Start Campus. “This achievement is not just a milestone for Start Campus, but a win for hyperscale, cloud, and AI/HPC-driven companies looking to secure their future in Europe in readily available and large-scale data centres.”

Located on the south-western edge of Europe, SINES DC is one of the continent’s most ambitious infrastructure projects. The SIN01 facility, operational since Q4 2024, delivers up to26 MW of IT capacity, while SIN02, ready to be built for delivery as early as in 2026, will add another 180 MW. These facilities are part of Start Campus’s 1.2 GW SINES Data Campus, built from the ground up to support AI-native workloads, liquid cooling, and high-density compute environments.

Both SIN01 and SIN02 are powered by 100% renewable energy and feature an innovative seawater cooling system, enabling them to operate at a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1 and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) of 0 – impressive metrics that demonstrate Start Campus’ commitment to environmental responsibility without compromising performance.

This certification was co-led by OCP Foundation team members, Mark Dansie and Raúl Àlvarez, working within the Data Centre Facilities Project at the OCP.

Mark Dansie, OCP Ready Facilities Program Co-Lead, comments, “The certification of Start Campus’ SIN01 and SIN02 facilities as OCP Ready for Hyperscale is a pivotal moment for the European data centre landscape. By aligning with the new v2 specifications, Start Campus demonstrates how strategic facility design can deliver on the evolving demands of hyperscale deployments. It’s a blueprint for how sustainability, performance, and openness can come together to meet the future of compute.”

Raúl Àlvarez, European Market Development Manager, adds, “Start Campus’s OCP Ready v2 certification not only highlights its technical excellence, but also its alignment with the OCP Community’s vision of interoperable, efficient, and scalable data centre environments. The SIN01 and SIN02 facilities showcase how the latest global standards can be deployed locally to accelerate digital infrastructure and support the next generation of AI and cloud-native workloads.”

This news follows the successful inauguration of SIN01, the first operational facility within the company’s 1.2-gigawatt (GW) Sines Data Campus.

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