DATA4 Marseille Campus: 120MW Sustainable Hyperscale & AI Hub in France
Status: Active Development / Under Construction | Location: Former Normed Shipyards Site, Zone d'Activités, 13600 La Ciotat / Marseille Metro, France
Project Overview
DATA4’s Marseille Campus is a flagship hyperscale and artificial intelligence (AI) digital infrastructure development located in La Ciotat within the Greater Marseille metropolitan area, France. Representing an investment of more than €500 million, the campus is being developed on a reclaimed 7-hectare industrial site and is strategically positioned to capitalize on Marseille’s status as Europe’s leading subsea cable landing hub, providing direct connectivity between Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Once fully operational, the campus will deliver up to 120 MW of IT capacity, supporting global cloud hyperscalers, over-the-top (OTT) content providers, enterprises, and large-scale AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. The facility is engineered for next-generation computing environments, offering rack power densities exceeding 50 kW while incorporating Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling (DLC) readiness for advanced GPU-based AI deployments. Sustainability is a core design principle, with the campus utilizing low-carbon concrete, energy-efficient infrastructure, and waste-heat recovery systems that integrate with local district heating networks to reduce environmental impact. Combined with resilient power infrastructure, high-capacity fiber connectivity, and scalable expansion capabilities, DATA4’s Marseille Campus is positioned as one of Southern Europe’s most advanced, sustainable, and AI-ready hyperscale data center developments, supporting the region’s rapidly growing digital economy and cloud ecosystem.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Project Name | DATA4 Marseille Campus: 120MW Sustainable Hyperscale & AI Hub in France |
| Location | Former Normed Shipyards Site, Zone d'Activités, 13600 La Ciotat / Marseille Metro, France |
| Status | Active Development / Under Construction |
| Commissioning | Phase 1 Go-Live: Target 2026–2027 / Phased Multi-Building Buildout (2026–2030+) |
| Total IT Load | 120 MW Critical IT Power Capacity Allocation |
| Total Capacity | 120 MW Total IT Power Capacity across a 7-hectare (~17.3-acre) industrial brownfield campus footprint |
| Tier Level | Tier III / Tier IV Equivalent Architecture / ISO 27001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, HDS (Health Data), PCI-DSS |
| Project Type | Purpose-Built Brownfield Hyperscale, Ultra High-Density AI Colocation & Subsea Landing Gateway |
City Profile
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| City Name | La Ciotat |
| Population | ~36,000 |
| Urban Agglomeration | Marseille (~35 km away) |
| City GDP | Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolitan Area (~1.9 million population) |
| Per Capita Income | Part of the Aix-Marseille-Provence economy (~USD 90+ billion) |
| City Tier | Tier 3 – Coastal Technology, Maritime & Digital Infrastructure Location |
| Key Strengths | Strategic Mediterranean coastal location; proximity to Marseille; access to submarine cable networks; growing technology ecosystem; maritime industries; renewable energy potential; strong transport connectivity; attractive location for edge data centers and digital infrastructure serving Southern France and Mediterranean markets. |
Companies Involved
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| Developer / Operator | Data4 Infrastructure |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | Enedis / RTE, Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence & City of La Ciotat Municipal Authorities |
| Construction Contractor | Specialized French & European Mission-Critical EPC Contractors |
| MEP Engineering | DATA4 Group In-House Global Technical Infrastructure & Critical Facilities Engineering Teams |
| Network Connectivity | Carrier-neutral platform featuring diverse subterranean fiber entrance vaults; redundant Meet-Me-Rooms (MMRs); direct, redundant low-latency optical dark fiber backhaul to Marseille’s main carrier hotels (Interxion/Digital Realty MRS1-MRS4) and 17+ subsea cable landing stations (AAE-1, SEA-ME-WE 5/6, 2Africa, PEACE). |
| Power Infrastructure | Dual path-diverse high-voltage grid feeders supplied by RTE/Enedis, static distributed 2N / N+1 uninterruptible power supply (UPS) modules, automated switchgear, and HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) biofuel-compatible backup diesel generator plants. |
Technical Specifications
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| Power Capacity | 120 MW Secured Utility Power Allocation |
| UPS Redundancy | 2N / N+1 Distributed Redundant Static UPS Architecture |
| Cooling System | High-efficiency closed-loop chilled-water systems with free-cooling economizers, zero-water waste dissipation (WUE ≈ 0.0), Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling (DLC) readiness for high-density AI clusters, and automated BMS controls. |
| Connectivity | Carrier-neutral host offering direct low-latency cloud express on-ramps and cross-connect options across pan-European and intercontinental fiber corridors. |
| PUE Target | < 1.25 Annualized Operational Design PUE |
| Energy Mix | 100% Certified Carbon-Free Renewable Energy (Power Purchase Agreements for solar/wind) backed by waste-heat recovery integration. |
Milestones
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| Announcement | June 2024 |
| Construction Start | 2024–2025 |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | Target 2026–2027 |
| Full Buildout | Active Multi-Phase Development through 2030+ |
Investment Details
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| Total Investment | Estimated €500,000,000 EUR (~$550,000,000 USD) Total Campus Capital Expenditure |
| Funding | Corporate Capital Expenditure & Infrastructure Financing by DATA4 Group / Brookfield |