France's National Physics Research Institute IN2P3 Inaugurates New Scalable Data Center
February 4, 2026
France's premier scientific research body has bolstered its computational infrastructure with a new, scalable data center, addressing the surging demands of modern nuclear and particle physics experiments. The facility underscores the critical role of high-performance computing (HPC) in driving fundamental scientific discovery, where simulations and data analysis from massive international projects like those at CERN generate petabytes of information requiring immense processing power. The new data center, named VIL3, was constructed for the National Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics (IN2P3), part of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Located at IN2P3's computing center on the outskirts of Lyon, the facility was delivered this month by construction firm Cap Ingelec following a 10-month build project that commenced in March 2024. The VIL3 data center offers an initial IT capacity of 500 kilowatts, with a design that allows for future expansion to a total of 2 megawatts. At full build-out, the air-cooled facility is planned to house approximately 130 server racks. In a statement, Cap Ingelec highlighted the project's significance, noting it was conceived "to meet the exponential growth in computing and data storage needs generated by major international scientific projects." The company added that the project "fully illustrates our expertise in the design and construction of critical data centers, in the service of science, innovation, and digital sovereignty." The new center will support IN2P3's existing computing ecosystem, which serves 4,000 researchers across 70 different scientific teams nationwide. Its two predecessor facilities at the Lyon site, VIL1 and VIL2, each provide 900 square meters (9,687 square feet) of technical space hosting several thousand servers and a combined storage capacity of 340 petabytes. The addition of VIL3 provides essential, scalable headroom for future research initiatives. This investment reflects a broader trend where scientific and governmental institutions are prioritizing sovereign, high-capacity computing infrastructure. For the European research community, such facilities are vital for maintaining competitiveness in fields like artificial intelligence, climate modeling, and fundamental physics, where control over data and compute resources aligns with strategic goals for technological independence.
Source: datacenterdynamics
