France Plans Major Sovereign AI Data Center Campus in Bordeaux

France Plans Major Sovereign AI Data Center Campus in Bordeaux January 28, 2026 France is advancing its strategic ambitions in artificial intelligence with plans for a major new data center campus in Bordeaux, designed to host sovereign AI infrastructure and reduce reliance on foreign technology providers. The move underscores the growing global competition to secure computational power for national AI development, a critical factor for economic and technological sovereignty. The project, named BXIA, was proposed by real estate asset manager Osae Partners and developer NFU. It involves constructing a five-building campus on a 20-hectare site currently used as a parking lot at Bordeaux’s Parc des Expositions. The development is slated to offer up to 250 megawatts of IT capacity, with the site having access to a total of 380MW of power. The first building is targeted to become operational by 2028. The initiative represents a significant repurposing of a site originally earmarked for a second Equinix facility. According to local reports, the shift in focus towards sovereign AI infrastructure was driven by a desire to create a facility dedicated to French and European technological interests. Laurent Halimi from Osae Partners indicated the campus could house infrastructure for prominent French entities like AI lab Mistral and aerospace giant Airbus, backed by European investors. The construction cost for the data center buildings is estimated at €3 billion ($3.59bn), a figure that excludes the substantial expense of the IT hardware itself. When factoring in the necessary computing equipment, the total project investment could reach approximately €12 billion ($14.35bn). Benjamin Delaux of NFU emphasized the project's distinct philosophy, stating, "Our model isn't a data center where Americans rent and there's nothing more to see, nothing more to say. We advocate transparency." The campus will also employ a closed-loop water cooling system to minimize its environmental footprint. Strategically, Bordeaux is an advantageous location, currently hosting eight data centers and serving as the landing point for the Meta-led Amitié subsea cable, which provides a direct, high-bandwidth connection to the United States and the United Kingdom. The final approval for the land use change rests with local councilors, with a decision expected imminently. This project positions Bordeaux as a key emerging hub in Europe's data center landscape and marks a concrete step in France's push to build independent, large-scale capacity for its burgeoning AI sector. Source: datacenterdynamics