The high-tech data center campus will deliver waterless cooling and ultra-efficient operations built for the demands of generative AI and advanced compute
NEW YORK, USA/LISBON, PT (October 16, 2024) – MERLIN Properties and Edged Energy announced today the start of construction on their new state-of-the-art, carbon neutral data center campus located in Vila Franca de Xira, within close proximity to Lisbon. The announcement marks an important milestone as MERLIN Properties, the Iberian Peninsula’s leading developer and operator of green real estate assets, and Edged Energy, the sustainable global data center provider, continue their rapid European expansion. The campus will be constructed in phases with the first facility expected to come online in 2027.
“Portugal has always been a key real estate market for MERLIN, representing a significant part of our portfolio, with assets worth ca. €1.2 billion in offices, logistics and shopping centers, to date. The new asset class driving the growth of the company, data centers, will give Portugal significant protagonism. The country enjoys a superb location for sub-sea cable communications, robust electric grid and an abundance of renewable energy, all in an investor friendly environment, open to innovation and with very attractive economic fundamentals,” said Ismael Clemente, Chief Executive Officer and founder of MERLIN Properties.
Centrally located 20 minutes north of the booming Parque das Nações business district, at the Castanheira do Ribatejo rail station, the Lisbon AI campus will feature five world-class data centers optimized to deliver 180 MW of critical power and use 100% renewable energy. The campus is uniquely designed to protect local water resources and minimize energy usage. With an industry-leading average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15 portfolio-wide, the facilities are built to handle the dense AI-driven loads that are reshaping the IT industry without consuming any water for cooling. MERLIN and Edged are working to add additional electric capacity to the complex with the aim to achieve up to 300 MW of critical power in the long-term.
At a time of growing water scarcity where water reservoirs in portions of Portugal are at their lowest level and restrictions are in place on water usage, the Lisbon campus is expected to save nearly 2.7 billion liters of water each year compared to conventional data centers.
“We are on a mission to create data centers for positive impact and are proud to be part of Portugal’s fast-growing digital economy. The region boasts unprecedented fiber connectivity, with 10 intercontinental submarine cables landing or stopping near Lisbon, and a deep commitment to renewable energy production and sustainable design. It is an approach we share and uniquely aligns with our efforts to combat climate change through innovation. Together, we are delivering future-proof solutions to meet the needs of the region’s thriving tech hub while conserving the area’s precious natural resources,” said Jakob Carnemark, Founder of Endeavour and the Edged platform.
The campus will be outfitted with the ThermalWorks waterless cooling system, designed to support the intense demands of generative AI and advanced computing. The modular system supports densities of up to 70 kW per rack with air cooling and 200 kW per rack with plug-and-play liquid cooling integration. Unlike other waterless cooling solutions, this advanced technology is ultra-efficient, which helps dramatically reduce energy overhead by 74% compared with the global average PUE of 1.58 reported by the Uptime Institute.
Sustainability is at the core of the platform, from the way the facilities are designed and operated to the ultra-clean backup power onsite. The facilities will be outfitted with Stage V generators powered by natural gas, which virtually eliminates air emissions compared to conventional diesel generators.
In addition to their Lisbon campus, MERLIN Properties and Edged have launched a network of carbon neutral data centers across the Iberian Peninsula. The first three state-of-the-art data centers located in Barcelona, Madrid and the greater Bilbao area were completed last year, and construction is expected to begin on the next phase of the Bilbao-Arasur campus later this year, with the aim of achieving up to 300 MW of IT power in the long-term.
About Edged
Edged is a vertically integrated global platform of on-demand data centers. Its operations are carbon and water neutral. Edged is an Endeavour company. For more information, visit www.edged.es.
About MERLIN Properties
MERLIN Properties SOCIMI, S.A. (MC:MRL) is the largest real estate company trading on the Spanish and Portuguese Stock Exchanges. Specializing in the development, acquisition and management of commercial property in the Iberian region, MERLIN mainly invests in offices, shopping malls, logistics facilities and data centers within the Core and Core Plus segments, forming part of the benchmark IBEX-35, Euro STOXX 600, FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate, GPR Global Index, GPR-250 Index, MSCI Small Caps, and DJSI indices. Please visit www.merlinproperties.com to learn more about the company.
