Colt DCS breaks ground on new Paris data centre

Author: Simon Rowley

Colt Data Centre Services (Colt DCS), a global provider of hyperscale and large enterprise data centre solutions, has broken ground on its second data centre in France with Colt Paris 2.

This facility is the first of three planned data centres (Colt Paris 2, 3 and 4) to be built on a new 12.5-acre site in Villebon-sur-Yvette, located to the southwest of Paris. Two additional data centres (Colt Paris 5 and 6) are also scheduled for construction on a second new site in Les Ulis, which spans 5.3 acres and is situated in proximity to Colt DCS’ existing operational facility in the French commune.

This marks the beginning of a €2.3 billion investment in the country’s digital economy, with five data centres planned to be completed by 2031. Combined, this will bring Colt DCS’ total capacity to 170MW in France by the end of that year.

Each new facility has been designed following Colt DCS’ Global Reference Design (GRD) and will use several low embodied carbon principles in the construction process to showcase the operator’s commitment to sustainability.

The five data centres will meet the performance requirements of large enterprise, traditional cloud, and AI platforms. With power contracts confirmed at both sites, these facilities will be purpose-built to support the rapid growth of digital services across France and Europe.

Colt Paris 2 has been designed to meet the cooling demands of high-density AI workloads through a hybrid approach that combines traditional air cooling with liquid-to-chip technology. During the cooling process, there is zero water waste. The facility has also been designed to recover waste heat for use by the local community.

Having secured 100% renewable power, once fully operational, this AI-ready data centre will deliver 40MW with the ability to accommodate over 100kW of IT power per single cabinet.

Niclas Sanfridsson, CEO of Colt DCS, says, “Breaking ground at Colt Paris 2 is the exciting next step in our long-term commitment to France and its thriving digital economy. This project not only implements our innovative new design, but it also demonstrates our dedication to sustainable growth and innovation. By investing in renewable energy contracts and supporting the local community through waste heat reuse, we are helping to fulfil the growing demand for cloud and AI services while setting new standards for environmental responsibility.”

Furthermore, Colt Paris 2 will be constructed by sourcing building equipment and materials from within Europe, with the development estimated to employ 300 people during construction and create over 100 new jobs within the local economy once operational. The project underscores Colt DCS’ role as a trusted data centre partner, enabling its customers to efficiently deliver AI solutions in a secure and sustainable environment.

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