Sustainable data center developer Start Campus and liquid cooling company JetCool have agreed to a strategic partnership to expand the portfolio of high-efficiency cooling options for future customers at Start Campus’ 1.2GW Sines DC in Portugal.

As part of the partnership, JetCool will provide its micro convective cooling technology to customers needing high-temperature liquid cooling for AI GPUs and other high-density computing systems.

Sines DC Start Campus
Sines DC Start Campus – Start Campus

JetCool’s technology employs a specialized microjet impingement system that directly cools hotspots on chips, enabling coolant temperatures above 60°C.

This approach minimizes the need for mechanical chillers, allowing for free cooling in warmer climates and substantially reducing power consumption in facilities where it is implemented.

Additionally, JetCool will leverage Start Campus’ AI ready power and cooling infrastructure, which includes seawater cooling technology.

Dr. Bernie Malouin, CEO of JetCool said: “Our partnership with Start Campus is a natural fit because they’re at the forefront of redefining data center sustainability and performance. By combining our liquid cooling solutions—from cold plates to high-capacity CDUs—with their AI-ready power and cooling infrastructure, we’re enabling a new standard for high-density compute environments that pushes the boundaries of efficiency and scalability.”

Sines DC is located in Lisbon and is the largest colocation site in Europe with fully secured grid power. It comprises six buildings and will be developed incrementally until 2030. The project has a combined investment value of €8.5 billion ($9.27bn) and has targeted a PUE of 1.1.

The first building, with an initial 14MW of IT capacity, is set to be operational by Q4 2024. In response to its customers' requirements, an expansion to 26MW has been announced.

Each subsequent building will support up to 240MW of IT capacity and be constructed sequentially, with SIN02 ready for service from 2026. All buildings are expected to be operational by 2030.

Start Campus was embroiled in a corruption scandal late last year. The investigation centered around the "misuse of funds, active and passive corruption by political figures, and influence peddling” involving lithium mining concessions, a hydrogen production project, and the Start data center campus in Sines. Several Start employees were arrested including the then CEO, and Portugal's prime minister António Costa resigned. New CEO Robert Dunn was appointed in July 2024 having served as interim CEO since November 2023.

The agreement with Start Campus comes just a year after JetCool raised $17 million in a Series A funding round. Bosch Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of the Bosch Group, led investment in the startup.