Orange Commits €3 Billion to Expand European Data Center Capacity
A joint venture with Morrison aims to boost capacity to 400 megawatts by 2027, but key financial details remain undisclosed.
Key points
- Orange and Morrison are forming a joint venture targeting 400 megawatts of data center capacity in France.
- The €3 billion investment program has not disclosed the exact financial split or new construction costs.
- Regulatory approvals are pending, with a final closing expected in the first quarter of 2027.
Orange and Morrison have announced plans for a joint venture that targets 400 megawatts of new data center capacity across Europe. The partnership involves a €3 billion investment program designed to consolidate five existing Orange sites in France, doubling as a strategic move to anchor artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure within the continent.
The deal combines Orange’s operational management and commercial reach with Morrison’s equity and infrastructure experience. While the companies claim the target capacity is nearly ten times the current footprint of the contributed sites, they have not disclosed the exact financial split or how much of the capital will go toward new construction versus upgrading existing facilities.
Five French sites anchor the expansion
The initial footprint consists of five data centers located at four campuses in France: Chevilly-Larue, Aubervilliers, Chartres, and Val-de-Reuil. Orange Business will act as the exclusive distributor for colocation and hosting services, serving both private businesses and public-sector entities. This structure allows clients to either place their own hardware in the facility or purchase managed infrastructure directly from the operator.
Sovereignty claims lack specific compliance details
Orange positions this infrastructure as a foundation for digital sovereignty, arguing that keeping data on French soil helps meet local security and data location requirements. However, being physically located within Europe does not automatically grant legal immunity from foreign jurisdictions. The company has not yet published the specific European compliance standards the facilities will adhere to, leaving the legal boundaries of this sovereignty claim undefined.
Furthermore, while the venture aims to support heavy data processing and AI workloads, the partners have not released metrics for projected power usage, water consumption, or overall carbon footprint. Data centers require continuous energy for computing and cooling, yet the lack of disclosed environmental performance data makes it difficult for consumers to assess the true sustainability impact of the expansion.
Regulatory hurdles delay final closing
The transaction is not yet finalized, as it remains subject to employee consultations and regulatory oversight. Both companies expect to sign final transaction documents by the end of 2026, with a targeted closing in the first quarter of 2027. Until that point, the venture lacks formal legal status, and neither company has released concrete construction timelines or signed customer contracts, meaning the project remains a proposal rather than a secured reality.
