The Mayor of Barcelona Jaume Collboni Inaugurates Data Center Hosting CoreWeave's Leading AI Cloud Platform, in Partnership with MERLIN Edged

Rhea-AI Summary

CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV) has partnered with MERLIN Edged to launch a major AI supercomputer facility in Barcelona, Spain. The 15MW data center will host 10,224 NVIDIA H200 Tensor Core GPUs with plans to add Blackwell supercomputing capacity in 2026. This development is part of CoreWeave's $2.2 billion European investment announced in 2024. The facility boasts impressive sustainability metrics with a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15, significantly better than European (1.46) and global (1.56) averages. The data center operates on 100% renewable energy, features zero water consumption for cooling, and connects to major global markets through the Barcelona Cable Landing Station. This initiative positions Barcelona and Catalonia as a strategic European AI hub while emphasizing environmental sustainability.

Positive

• Major infrastructure expansion with 10,224 NVIDIA H200 GPUs and future Blackwell supercomputer plans
• Significant $2.2 billion investment commitment in European operations
• Superior efficiency with 1.15 PUE compared to European/global averages
• Strategic location with direct access to global fiber networks and subsea cables
• 100% renewable energy powered facility with zero water consumption

Negative

• None.

Insights

Technology Infrastructure Analyst

CoreWeave's new Barcelona data center with 10,224 NVIDIA H200 GPUs significantly expands its European AI computing capacity with sustainability credentials.

CoreWeave's partnership with MERLIN Edged marks a significant expansion of AI infrastructure in Europe, establishing a 15MW data center in Barcelona equipped with 10,224 NVIDIA H200 Tensor Core GPUs. This deployment represents one of the first large-scale NVIDIA Hopper training and inference supercomputers in Spain, with plans to upgrade to Blackwell architecture in 2026.

The facility's technical specifications are impressive, featuring InfiniBand connectivity for high-bandwidth, low-latency networking essential for distributed AI workloads. What's particularly notable is the data center's exceptional efficiency metrics - a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15% compared to the European average of 1.46%. This efficiency translates to substantial operational cost advantages and aligns with CoreWeave's $2.2 billion European investment strategy announced in 2024.

The strategic location leverages Barcelona's position as a Mediterranean digital hub with direct connections to subsea cables through the Barcelona Cable Landing Station, providing critical low-latency connectivity to global markets. This infrastructure advantage positions CoreWeave to effectively serve European AI customers requiring compliance with regional data sovereignty requirements.

The partnership with MERLIN Edged offers CoreWeave rapid geographic expansion without the capital expenditure of building proprietary facilities. This asset-light approach enables CoreWeave to scale its specialized AI computing services while MERLIN Edged handles the physical infrastructure. The zero water consumption design and 100% renewable energy commitment address potential regulatory and environmental concerns in the European market.

This expansion significantly strengthens CoreWeave's competitive position against other AI infrastructure providers like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS, especially for European customers requiring local compute resources. With AI demand continuing to outstrip supply, this capacity addition represents a meaningful growth catalyst for CoreWeave's specialized AI cloud platform.

New supercomputer to provide EU with thousands of NVIDIA Hopper GPUs to develop and deploy next-generation AI models and agents.

BARCELONA, Spain, May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CoreWeave Inc, (Nasdaq: CRWV) today announced it is partnering with MERLIN Edged to host one of the first large-scale NVIDIA Hopper training and inference supercomputers in Spain at a new ultra-efficient data center in Barcelona, which was inaugurated on 13th May by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, accompanied by Albert Tort, Secretary of Telecommunications and Digital Transformation of the Government at Generalitat de Catalunya.

The 15MW site will host 10,224 NVIDIA H200 Tensor Core GPUs with InfiniBand connectivity, with plans to extend capacity with a Blackwell supercomputer in 2026.  In 2024, CoreWeave announced an initial investment of $2.2 billion across Europe, bringing the AI cloud and high compute capacity to continental Europe, powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

MERLIN Properties, a leading real estate and infrastructure company in Spain and Portugal, and Edged Energy, a global technology developer for sustainable data centers, partnered in 2020 to promote, build, equip, and operate cutting-edge digital infrastructure in the Iberian Peninsula. MERLIN Edged data centers are at the forefront of international innovation in sustainability, with zero water consumption and extremely high efficiency in converting electrical power into computing capacity. They are currently designed to provide customers with a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15, compared to the European average of 1.46 and the global average of 1.56, according to the Uptime Institute. They operate exclusively on electricity from renewable sources and are specifically designed to minimize and offset their carbon footprint.

The CoreWeave – MERLIN Edged partnership aims to significantly expand this computing capacity across southern Europe.

"This asset represents the realization of a shared vision: to transform Barcelona into a true digital port in the Mediterranean, and into an international benchmark for the digital economy and technological innovation. A forward-looking infrastructure, built to address the technological challenges of the future as they arise. The Barcelona Town Hall remains committed to foster a supportive environment for these types of initiatives" - highlighted Mr. Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona.

In a written statement, MHP Salvador Illa, President of the Generalitat de Catalunya added that "our region is articulating its ambition to establish itself as a preeminent European AI hub. This new partnership between CoreWeave and MERLIN Edged sets us at the forefront of the European artificial intelligence landscape."

"CoreWeave is pleased to collaborate with MERLIN Edged as it brings highly performant and scalable compute to Europe, powering the next wave of AI." – said Mike Mattacola, GM, International at CoreWeave. "This collaboration aligns with our commitment to sustainability and continuously improving the efficiency of our operations."

"Catalonia is positioned as a strategic technology hub and combines a strong foundation of renewable energy with an extremely efficient, CO2 neutral base with nuclear infrastructure. Furthermore, the robust fiber connection to the rest of Spain, Europe and the world allows us not only to meet local demand but also to actively attract top-tier international players in the AI field, like CoreWeave." – said Ismael Clemente, CEO of MERLIN Properties.

"We are proud to partner with CoreWeave. This region offers a unique combination of a dense fibre network for global connectivity and abundant renewable energy, making it the ideal home for an AI hyperscaler," said Jakob Carnemark, founder of Edged Energy and Endeavour. "By building ultra-efficient, carbon neutral data centers that consume zero water for cooling, MERLIN Edged is delivering the sustainable, innovative solutions that empower companies like CoreWeave to thrive in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape."

MERLIN Edged's Barcelona data center is linked to the Barcelona Cable Landing Station (BCLS), connecting to some of the fastest subsea cables and serving as a gateway to major global markets from the western Mediterranean. This facility also accesses other subsea cables and land-based networks across Europe and North America. MERLIN Edged have established a European gateway leveraging advanced global fibre networks and strong regional energy production to enhance world-class connectivity. Their operating data centers in Barcelona-PLZF, Madrid-Getafe and Bilbao-Arasur and their pipeline in Lisbon, Madrid-Tres Cantos and Extremadura, are pivotal in transforming the Iberian Peninsula into a hub for high-demand accelerated compute solutions, particularly for powering AI.

About CoreWeave

CoreWeave, the AI Hyperscaler™, delivers a cloud platform of cutting-edge software powering the next wave of AI. The company's technology provides enterprises and leading AI labs with cloud solutions for accelerated computing. Since 2017, CoreWeave has operated a growing footprint of data centers across the US and Europe. CoreWeave was ranked as one of the TIME100 most influential companies and featured on Forbes Cloud 100 ranking in 2024. Learn more at www.coreweave.com. 

About Edged

Edged is a globally vertically integrated global platform of on-demand edge data centers. Its operations are carbon and water neutral. Edged Energy 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. It specializes in the development, acquisition, and management of commercial real estate assets in the Iberian Peninsula, primarily investing in office buildings, shopping centers, logistics platforms, and data centers. MERLIN Properties is part of key indices such as IBEX 35, Euro STOXX 600, FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index, GPR Global Index, GPR-250 Index, MSCI Small Caps, and the Dow Jones World Sustainability Index. Visit www.merlinproperties.com for more information.

About MERLIN Edged

MERLIN Properties and Edged Energy joined forces in 2020 to promote, build, equip, and operate state-of-the-art, carbon-neutral data centers in the Iberian Peninsula. Their facilities are located in Barcelona, Madrid, Extremadura, Lisbon and the Basque Country.

 

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SOURCE CoreWeave

FAQ

What is CoreWeave's (CRWV) investment size in its European expansion?

CoreWeave announced a $2.2 billion investment across Europe in 2024 to bring AI cloud and high compute capacity to continental Europe.

How many NVIDIA GPUs will CoreWeave's Barcelona facility host?

The Barcelona facility will host 10,224 NVIDIA H200 Tensor Core GPUs with InfiniBand connectivity.

What is the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of CoreWeave's Barcelona data center?

The data center achieves a PUE of 1.15, significantly better than the European average of 1.46 and global average of 1.56.

How does CoreWeave's Barcelona facility contribute to sustainability?

The facility operates on 100% renewable energy, features zero water consumption for cooling, and maintains extremely high efficiency in converting electrical power to computing capacity.

What future expansion plans does CoreWeave have for the Barcelona facility?

CoreWeave plans to extend the facility's capacity with a Blackwell supercomputer in 2026.