Green real estate asset developer Merlin Properties and global data centre provider Edged Energy have teamed up for a new, high-tech and carbon-neutral data centre in Portugal.
The Lisbon AI campus in Vila Franca de Xira is located just 20 minutes north of Lisbon's Parque das Nações business district. Powered by 100% renewable energy, it will feature five data centres with a total capacity of 180 MW.
The campus will feature the innovative ThermalWorks waterless cooling system, featuring a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15 portfolio-wide, designed to meet the demanding power requirements of generative AI and advanced computing applications. The campus is expected to save nearly 2.7 billion liters of water each year compared to a traditional data centre. It will also be equipped with Stage V natural gas generators, which produce significantly fewer emissions compared to conventional diesel generators.
The campus will be constructed in phases with the first facility expected to come online in 2027.
Jakob Carnemark, founder of Endeavour and the Edged platform, said: ‘We are on a mission to create data centre for positive impact and are proud to be part of Portugal’s fast-growing digital economy. The region boasts unprecedented fibre connectivity, with 10 intercontinental submarine cables landing or stopping near Lisbon, and a deep commitment to renewable energy production and sustainable design.’
Ismael Clemente, CEO and founder of Merlin Properties added: ‘Portugal has always been a key real estate market for Merlin, representing a significant part of our portfolio, with assets worth ca. €1.2 bn in offices, logistics and shopping centres, to date. The new asset class driving the growth of the company, data centres, will give Portugal significant protagonism.’
In addition to their Lisbon campus, Merlin Properties and Edged Energy have already opened three state-of-the-art data centres across the Iberian Peninsula, namely in Barcelona, Madrid, and the Bilbao region. Construction on the next phase of the Bilbao-Arasur campus is expected to begin later this year, to reach a total capacity of 300 MW.
