Summary
- Nebul has contracted a second European computing region at Datacenter United's Machelen campus.
- More than 1,000 Blackwell Ultra GPUs will be deployed within Lenovo-supplied GB300 NVL72 systems.
- Hardware procurement is under way, with the installation relying on the campus's high-density infrastructure and liquid cooling.
Nebul has contracted data-centre capacity at Datacenter United’s Machelen campus in Belgium for more than 1,000 Nvidia Blackwell Ultra GPUs, establishing a second European location for its AI computing services.
The installation will use Lenovo systems based on Nvidia’s GB300 NVL72 rack-scale architecture. Datacenter United will provide the hosting infrastructure, connectivity, and advanced liquid cooling required for the deployment.
Hardware procurement is under way, but Nebul has not confirmed when the new capacity will be commissioned or made available to customers.
The agreement adds specific hardware and customer details to an earlier Machelen AI capacity development. Datacenter United had previously contracted multi-megawatt computing demand and was upgrading its cooling infrastructure to accommodate higher-density equipment.
The earlier agreement established that a substantial AI customer would use the facility, while the latest development identifies Nebul’s deployment and the computing platform it intends to install.
GB300 NVL72 systems combine large numbers of accelerators within tightly connected rack-scale computing infrastructure. Their design requires coordinated processing, communications, electrical distribution, and cooling across equipment operating as an integrated platform.
This differs from conventional server installations in which individual machines can often be added or replaced with relatively limited changes to the surrounding infrastructure. Dense accelerator systems may require specific rack configurations, electrical supplies, cooling interfaces, and communications equipment.
Datacenter United’s Machelen facility is being adapted to support these requirements. Liquid cooling transfers heat away from processors and other components through circulating fluid, reducing the amount of heat that must be removed by airflow around the computing equipment.
The heat must still pass through the supporting cooling infrastructure. Coolant distribution equipment, heat exchangers, piping, pumps, and the facility’s heat rejection plant all have to operate within the temperatures and flow conditions required by the IT systems.
The number of GPUs does not establish the total electrical load of the deployment. That depends on the complete system configuration, its power characteristics, and the facility services supporting it. Nebul has not disclosed a specific megawatt figure for its Belgian installation.
Expanding European computing infrastructure
Machelen is located near Brussels and established European communications infrastructure. The campus offers connectivity to the Netherlands and hosts workloads associated with European institutions.
Nebul is positioning the Belgian site as an additional region for customers seeking AI computing services within Europe. Operating multiple regions can support geographical distribution, although service continuity depends on the configuration of networks, storage, customer applications, and shared management systems.
Separate data-centre locations reduce dependence on one building, but they do not automatically eliminate common failures arising from software platforms, authentication systems, communications providers, or operational processes.
The deployment also involves several suppliers with different responsibilities. Lenovo will provide the computing systems, Nvidia supplies the underlying accelerator architecture, Nebul operates the customer-facing computing platform, and Datacenter United supplies the physical hosting environment.
Coordinating those responsibilities is part of the commissioning process. Equipment delivery must be followed by installation, electrical and cooling connections, network configuration, testing, and operational acceptance.
Datacenter United has been expanding and upgrading its Belgian estate as demand for higher-density computing grows. Adapting an existing facility can make use of established sites and network connectivity, but the electrical distribution and mechanical infrastructure must be suitable for the increased concentration of computing equipment.
Maintenance requirements will change alongside the technology. Liquid cooling introduces components and operating procedures that differ from conventional air cooling, including coolant quality management, leak monitoring, and servicing of hydraulic equipment.
As the Machelen installation progresses, the facility’s ability to support the contracted rack-scale systems will depend on successful integration of computing hardware with its upgraded plant.
Nebul’s agreement establishes a defined customer deployment, equipment platform, and European location. Hardware delivery and commissioning will determine when that contracted capacity becomes available for operational workloads.
