Ardian is backing the development of a large-scale AI data centre and research campus outside Paris in a project valued at up to €5bn, as private capital increasingly flows into Europe’s digital infrastructure build-out, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The initiative, developed alongside data centre group Verne, will combine a major computing facility with adjacent research and industrial space. Around one-third of the total investment will be funded through equity, with the remainder financed via debt, according to the firm.
Ardian executives described the project as part of a broader effort to strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty and expand its artificial intelligence computing capacity, which they argue remains significantly below the region’s share of global economic output.
The planned “AI gigafactory” reflects a wider wave of investment in European AI infrastructure, as governments and private investors seek to reduce reliance on US technology providers and build domestic computing capacity at scale.
The facility is expected to reach a total power capacity of up to 500MW, with around 200MW targeted to come online by 2030, making it one of the largest AI infrastructure projects in Europe.
The announcement comes amid a broader surge in AI infrastructure investment across the region, including large-scale commitments from global technology and investment groups targeting data centre expansion and computing clusters.
France has positioned itself as a key hub for this build-out, supported by a relatively low-carbon electricity mix heavily reliant on nuclear power, which has helped attract energy-intensive industrial projects despite ongoing concerns around permitting timelines and grid access.
Ardian also plans additional investment in renewable energy capacity to offset the data centre’s projected power consumption and address public concerns over electricity demand pressures.
