Pranav Hotkar
Paris, France - February 24, 2026 - Altarea and Vantage Data Centers have formed a strategic partnership to build a large-scale AI and cloud data center campus near Bordeaux, marking Vantage’s entry into the French market and expanding Altarea’s digital infrastructure portfolio.
The project will be developed on land owned by Altarea and will feature a secured 400-megawatt grid power connection, positioning it among the largest data center campuses planned in the country. The companies said the site is intended to serve hyperscale cloud providers and high-density artificial intelligence deployments as demand for compute capacity accelerates across Europe.
Altarea chairman and CEO Alain Taravella said the initiative represents a key step in the company’s digital infrastructure ambitions. “This initiative is an important milestone for Altarea’s data center strategy,” he said in the announcement.
For Vantage, the development establishes its first presence in France as the operator continues expanding across the EMEA region. David Howson, president of Vantage Data Centers EMEA, said the collaboration enables rapid delivery of large-scale capacity. “Entering France alongside Altarea positions us to deliver capacity at unrivaled speed and scale,” he said.
The campus is expected to support international and European technology companies deploying cloud and AI workloads, reflecting growing interest in alternative European locations outside traditional hubs such as Frankfurt, London, and Amsterdam. Developers have increasingly targeted regions with available land and pre-arranged power connections to accelerate project timelines.
Altarea has outlined plans to build a broader sovereign data-center platform across France, targeting multiple sites by the end of the decade, while Vantage continues to add hyperscale campuses across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific.
Industry observers say the partnership highlights a wider shift in infrastructure development, with real estate groups collaborating directly with specialist operators to secure power and speed construction amid rising AI compute demand. By combining land ownership and development expertise with operational data center experience, companies aim to shorten deployment cycles for hyperscale customers.
The Bordeaux project is expected to contribute additional regional compute capacity and support France’s efforts to strengthen domestic digital infrastructure as cloud and AI adoption expands across the European market.
