Digital Realty MRS5 Marseille: 14MW River-Cooled AI Hub
Status: Under Construction (April 2026) | Location: Port of Marseille Fos, Marseille, France
Project Overview
As of April 2026, construction on MRS5 is approaching critical vertical milestones within the Port of Marseille Fos, marking a significant advancement in Europe’s digital infrastructure landscape. Technically, MRS5 stands out as the most sustainable facility in the Marseille cluster, incorporating an innovative “River Cooling” system that leverages the local industrial water loop to optimize thermal management and reduce overall cooling energy consumption by up to 30%. This efficiency is particularly crucial as data centers scale to support increasingly compute-intensive workloads. Strategically, the facility serves as a vital landing and interconnection point for next-generation subsea cable systems such as 2Africa and SeaMeWe-6, reinforcing Marseille’s position as a global connectivity gateway. Engineered specifically for high-density AI workloads, MRS5 delivers the low-latency, high-capacity interconnection required to link European AI training clusters with rapidly expanding digital ecosystems across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. This project represents Digital Realty’s fifth major investment in Marseille, underscoring its long-term commitment to the region. As a result of such developments, Marseille has risen to become the seventh-largest internet hub globally, reflecting its growing importance in the international data economy.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Project Name | Digital Realty MRS5 Marseille: 14MW River-Cooled AI Hub |
| Location | Port of Marseille Fos, Marseille, France |
| Status | Under Construction (April 2026) |
| Commissioning | Expected Ready for Service: Late 2026 |
| Total IT Load | 14.0 MW |
| Total Capacity | ~12,000 m² (approx. 130,000 sq. ft.) |
| Tier Level | Tier III+ (Subsea & AI Optimized) |
| Project Type | Subsea Landing Hub & AI-Ready Data Center |
City Profile
| Header | Details |
|---|
| City Name | Marseille |
| Population | ~870,000 (city proper) |
| Urban Agglomeration | ~1.7 million |
| City GDP | Approx. $85–100 billion USD |
| Per Capita Income | ~$30,000–$35,000 USD annually |
| City Tier | Tier 2 |
| Key Strengths | Major Mediterranean port (one of Europe’s largest) |
Companies Involved
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Developer / Operator | Digital Realty |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | PlatformDIGITAL® Marseille / Subsea Cable Consortiums. |
| Construction Contractor | Digital Realty GDC / Eiffage Construction. |
| MEP Engineering | $N+1$ Electrical and Mechanical redundancy; 14MW critical load. |
| Network Connectivity | 200+ Carriers; 15+ Subsea Cables; Direct access to France-IX. |
| Power Infrastructure | 14 MW utility power; Optimized for high-density GPU racks. |
Technical Specifications
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Power Capacity | 14.0 MW |
| UPS Redundancy | $N+1$ |
| Cooling System | Advanced River Cooling (Closed-loop heat exchange). |
| Connectivity | Core Mediterranean gateway linking Europe to Africa and Asia. |
| PUE Target | < 1.20 |
| Energy Mix | 100% Renewable Matching (DLR France Portfolio). |
Milestones
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Announcement | October 29, 2024 |
| Construction Start | 2025 |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | Late 2026 |
| Full Buildout | 2027 |
Investment Details
| Header | Details |
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| Total Investment | Undisclosed (Estimated €100M+ for MRS5). |
| Funding | Digital Realty Corporate Capital. |