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BSO launches DataOne, Europe's first giga-scale AI centre

Tue, 3rd Dec 2024

BSO has announced the launch of DataOne, Europe's first giga-scale AI hosting data centre located in France.

Financed with support from the Ardian debt fund and major commercial banks, the project involves the acquisition of a Tier-3 data centre campus. Currently, the facility, which includes locations in Grenoble (Eybens) and Lyon (Villefontaine), provides a 15MW IT load across 50,000 square metres on 14 hectares.

The data centre is ISO 27001, 14001, 50001, SOC 1, and SOC 2 certified, confirming its appeal to major global corporations. It offers a carrier-neutral campus, interconnected AI-agnostic customer infrastructures through dark fibre and 100G+ DWDM wavelengths, thanks to seven connectivity providers, with plans for future expansion.

By 2028, DataOne intends to deliver a 400MW AI-compatible infrastructure, becoming Europe's largest data centre. The power will be sourced from EDF's hydroelectric facilities with nuclear energy backup to maintain zero-carbon operations at scale.

The rollout schedule begins in April 2025 with an 80MW launch after 16 weeks of transformation work, positioning the facility as the largest AI-focused data centre in Europe able to host customer supercomputers to global standards. By the end of 2026, the capacity will increase to 200MW, with a complete 400MW operational capacity by late 2028.

DataOne is designed to meet the demands of current and emerging GPU technologies, featuring direct liquid-cooled Facilities Distribution Units (FDUs) capable of hosting AI infrastructures with power densities between 60 to 250KW per rack. The data centre boasts a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.06–1.15, exceeding European regulatory standards.

Charles-Antoine Beyney, Co-Founder of BSO and CEO of DataOne, emphasised the project's commitment to sustainability: "DataOne represents a bold vision for the future of AI infrastructure in Europe – a sustainable, high-performance hub that sets a new standard for the industry."

DataOne is set to align with BSO's zero-carbon vision by using entirely renewable energy, recycling waste heat for local industry and commerce, and providing customers with real-time insights through an integrated metrics portal.

The project is led by experienced entrepreneurs Charles-Antoine Beyney, known for founding Etix Everywhere before its sale to Vantage in 2020, and Michael Ourabah. The team is focused on setting new sustainable benchmarks for the data centre industry.

Founded in 2004 by Michael Ourabah and Charles-Antoine Beyney, BSO is a global pioneer in infrastructure and connectivity solutions. With a rich heritage serving financial institutions across the globe, BSO now supports over 600 data-intensive businesses across industries such as financial services, technology, energy, e-commerce, and media.

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