Data4 chosen for €5bn data center project at former steelworks site in northern France
Data4 has been selected to lead a €5 billion ($5.86bn) project to develop a data center campus at the former Usinor steelworks site within the Soufflantes industrial park in Escaudain, near Denain and outside Valenciennes in northern France. The site, where steel operations ceased 45 years ago, was recently identified by the French government as one of 35 turnkey locations for data center development and has access to up to 700MW of power via the RTE network, although the final capacity of the campus has not been disclosed.
A consortium made up of Brookfield-owned Data4 and construction firm BT Immo was selected following a local authority meeting, with a feasibility study expected to take around two months. If the project proceeds, the campus could be operational by 2030. La Voix du Nord reported that AWS had shown interest in the site but was unsuccessful. Data4, founded in 2006 and acquired by Brookfield in 2023, operates more than 30 data centers across Europe totaling about 1.5GW, and is a key vehicle for Brookfield’s €20 billion investment plan in French digital infrastructure, which also includes a hyperscale campus near Denain at a former air force base in Cambrai.
AWS plans data center in Covington, Georgia
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is planning a data center in Covington, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, and has reached a $100 million agreement with the city to build a water treatment and cooling facility to support the project along Alcovy Road. Approved during a December 15 city council meeting, the facility is tied to a data center development, with an Amazon spokesperson stating, “This new project is expected to generate significant new tax revenues to support local priorities such as schools, public safety, and infrastructure, creating meaningful benefits for the community,” and adding, “We are also proud of our water innovations as part of this project, which limits water usage to only six percent of the year, with the remaining 94 percent relying on only outside air for cooling,” as well as, “In addition, we are funding and building a first-of-its-kind reclaimed water system that will help preserve over 45 million gallons of freshwater annually once operational.”
AWS confirmed the Covington project is part of the $11bn Georgia investment plan announced earlier this year, focused mainly on Butts and Douglas counties, with Covington located in nearby Newton County. While details on the data center’s size and capacity have not been disclosed, AWS previously acquired 430 acres along I-20 in Covington in January 2024, and a separate filing references a Gregory Road Data Center campus near Alcovy Road that could involve up to 1.41 million square feet of data center space and an estimated $5.7bn investment, reflecting growing data center development activity in the county.
Operator sought for data center of up to 1.4GW in northern France
A data center operator is being sought to develop a campus of up to 1.4GW at Bosquel Business Park in the Somme department of north western France, on land between Paris and Lille near junction 17 of the A16 motorway. The Somme Sud-Ouest Community of Municipalities (CC2SO) has issued a call for expressions of interest for “an operator capable of developing a high-power digital and industrial campus,” with 33 hectares immediately available and potential expansion of a further 17 hectares.
RTE has indicated the site is on a fast-track grid connection, with 240MW available in the next two years, rising to 1GW in four years, and potentially reaching 1.4GW. CC2SO said, “These conditions make Bosquel a particularly attractive location for cloud computing, hyperscale data centers, high-performance computing, and AI companies,” and added, “The availability of exceptional electrical power, combined with a large land reserve, positions the area as a site suitable for hosting strategic investments with a high impact on the national economy.” Interested parties have until January 16 to express interest, with wider AI/data center expansion also noted across France, including projects by Data4 and Prologis.
Panattoni looks to develop 1GW data center campus outside Detroit, Michigan
Panattoni is planning a large data center campus in Van Buren Township, on the western outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, targeting a 282-acre site north of I-94 and east of Haggerty Road for a potential 1GW-scale development known as Project Cannoli. Site plans indicate three data center buildings and an on-site substation, though no anchor tenant has been secured. The proposal was discussed at a recent township meeting where many residents voiced opposition. Panattoni’s head of data centers, Adam Kramer, said, “We’ve been talking to the community, understanding what they want and what they don’t,” adding, “We’ve been very conscious about making sure this is the lowest impact project possible, while being a benefit to the community,” and explaining that the land was already zoned for data centers.
Separately, US Signal has filed plans to expand its existing data center facility in Van Buren, where it currently operates a 25,000 sq ft site launched in 2020. The company is seeking approval to modify later phases of development, resulting in a total planned facility size of about 87,100 sq ft. Panattoni, traditionally focused on logistics and industrial real estate, has been expanding into the data center sector and has stated it aims to develop 1GW of data center capacity in North America by 2030, while US Signal continues to grow its regional footprint following its acquisition by Igneo Infrastructure Partners in 2023.
Saudi Telecom Company signs MoU with Humain to develop 1GW of data center capacity
Saudi Telecom Company (STC), through its Center3 subsidiary, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Humain to form a data center joint venture in Saudi Arabia focused on developing and operating AI data centers with a target of 1GW of capacity, initially aiming for 250MW “subject to contractual commitments with customers.” Signed on December 18, the six-month MoU establishes a JV in which Humain holds a 51 percent stake and STC 49 percent, and according to the agreement, the JV “brings together Center3’s scale, data-center leadership, and extensive regional connectivity with HUMAIN’s strategic mandate to champion end-to-end capabilities – laying the groundwork for high-capacity, low-latency infrastructure critical to the AI era.” The partnership builds on prior collaboration between the two companies and aligns with Center3’s goal of reaching 1GW of capacity by 2030 and Humain’s broader ambition, as a PIF-backed AI venture, to deliver 6.6GW of data center capacity over the next decade.
OpenAI and Amazon in talks for $10bn investment – report
OpenAI is reportedly in talks with Amazon over a potential $10 billion investment, according to The Information, which said discussions remain “very fluid,” and the deal could also involve OpenAI using Amazon Web Services’ custom Trainium AI chips. If completed, OpenAI would join Anthropic as a major user of Trainium, alongside existing compute arrangements that already include a $38bn multi-year AWS agreement for Nvidia GB200s and GB300s, as well as OpenAI’s use of Google TPUs, AMD GPUs, and internally developed chips with Broadcom. The reported investment could value OpenAI at more than $500bn and potentially form part of a broader fundraising round, as analysts have estimated the company needs significant capital to support its AI data center expansion, while also reflecting OpenAI’s continued shift toward a multi-cloud strategy following the end of its exclusive partnership with Microsoft.
Microsoft confirms plans for data center in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Microsoft has confirmed plans to develop a data center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after submitting a rezoning request for land at 7174 Patterson Avenue in Gaines Township that it purchased in October 2024. The request covers a 40.5-acre parcel within a larger 316-acre holding and would rezone the land from large-scale planned unit development to light industrial so it can be used for data center development alongside an adjacent parcel, with the application set to be discussed on December 18. A Microsoft spokesperson told MLive, “Project plans, including construction timelines, are yet to be finalized. We continue to work with our local partners and are committed to sharing information when we have it.” The land was acquired for $45.3 million, and while Michigan was not previously a major data center hub, activity has increased in the past year, with new projects proposed across the state and Grand Rapids already hosting a small cluster of facilities.
Vantage breaks ground on Texas gigawatt data center campus for OpenAI
Vantage has broken ground on a new Texas data center campus designed to host hardware for OpenAI, beginning construction on its Frontier site in Shackelford County as part of Oracle and OpenAI’s Stargate expansion. Announcing the milestone on LinkedIn, the company said, “This week, Vantage Data Centers hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for our Frontier campus in Shackelford County, Texas,” adding that “Part of Oracle and OpenAI’s Stargate expansion, the 1.4GW campus will lead to advancements in AI while creating significant regional economic growth, including employing more than 5,000 individuals across construction and operations.” At full build-out, the 1,200-acre campus will comprise 10 single-story data centers totaling 1.4GW and around 3.7 million sq ft, with the first building expected to go live in the second half of 2026, marking one of Vantage’s largest hyperscale developments to date.
CloudHQ to begin constructing 276MW data center in Germany next year
CloudHQ plans to begin construction of its 276MW data center campus in Germany next year, following delays related to planning approvals and power availability that pushed the project back from an initial 2023 start. First announced in 2022, the campus will be located in the Frankfurt-Hochst industrial park west of Frankfurt’s city center and will span 217,000 sqm across three buildings, each offering 96MW of capacity. CloudHQ already operates a site in Offenbach and continues to expand in the Frankfurt region, Europe’s largest data center hub, as part of its wider global portfolio, which the US-based company says totals more than 5.2GW across America, EMEA, and APAC.
AWS to invest $7bn in data centers in Hyderabad, India
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signed an agreement with the Government of Telangana to invest $7 billion in expanding its cloud infrastructure in Hyderabad over the next 14 years, according to the Deccan Herald. The state will provide facilitation measures to support the expansion, with Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy saying, ” We are delighted by the extraordinary confidence shown by global leaders like Amazon in Telangana,” while AWS India and South Asia president Sandeep Dutta said the investment will support jobs, local businesses, and workforce development.
AWS already operates a cloud region in Hyderabad, launched in 2022, and the new commitment follows Amazon’s announcement that it will invest $35bn across its businesses in India by 2030. The move comes amid rising hyperscale and AI infrastructure investment in the country, alongside recent spending plans announced by Microsoft and Google.
PDG tops out 3rd building and broke ground on 4th building on 200MW Johor campus
Singapore-based data center developer and operator Princeton Digital Group (PDG) has topped out the third building and broken ground on the fourth building at its 200MW Johor campus, according to a LinkedIn post from the company. Both buildings are part of Phase 4 and Phase 5 of its JH1 campus located in Sedenak Tech Park (STeP) in Johor, Malaysia. The JH1 campus spans 128,000 square metres of land, with 80,000 sqm reserved for colocation, and is described by PDG as one of the largest AI-ready data centers in Southeast Asia. PDG is also planning a second campus, JH2, which will add another 200MW across five buildings.
Separately, PDG recently expanded into South Korea, announcing a $700 million data center investment beginning with a 48MW campus in Incheon, which represents the first phase of a planned 500MW AI and cloud buildout in the country. With the addition of Korea, PDG’s global portfolio now exceeds 1.2GW of IT capacity across more than 20 campuses in seven countries, including Singapore, Japan, India, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, and South Korea.
Brookfield and Qai form US$ 20 billion JV to drive AI infrastructure in Qatar
Brookfield and Qai, a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), have announced a US$20 billion joint venture to develop AI infrastructure in Qatar, with support from the Qatari government for skills development and supply chain expansion. The partnership will fund integrated AI facilities, including an Integrated Compute center aimed at expanding access to high-performance computing and supporting AI deployment across key sectors, while also positioning Qatar as a regional AI hub and exploring opportunities for international co-development.
The JV aligns with Brookfield’s broader AI strategy through its Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Fund, part of a US$100 billion global investment program. Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi, QIA CEO, said, “QIA has been at the forefront of driving advancement through our AI investments. This joint venture is testament to QIA’s commitment to delivering both local and global impact to advance Qatar’s National Vision 2030,” while Qai Chairman Abdulla Al-Misnad and Brookfield CEO Bruce Flatt highlighted the partnership’s role in building world-class AI infrastructure and combining Qatar’s strategic vision with Brookfield’s global expertise.
Pure Data Centres to spend €1bn on Amsterdam’s largest data centre
Pure Data Centres, backed by Oaktree Capital, plans to invest €1bn ($1.17bn) in what is expected to be Amsterdam’s largest data centre campus, which will be leased to a single hyperscaler tenant and designed to support AI or cloud workloads. Construction is set to begin in January 2026 with phased delivery from 2028, powered by a private substation, and the project is expected to be among the city’s largest by power capacity. Commenting on the development, CEO Dame Dawn Childs said, “Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most constrained markets for digital infrastructure and Pure DC has again demonstrated its ability to unlock new low-latency, high-quality capacity,” adding, “This deal demonstrates how our specialist teams have the creativity and approach to deliver compelling proposals – delivering solutions for local authorities, potential customers, and our supply chain.” The investment comes amid heightened AI-driven demand and grid constraints across Europe, alongside other major projects announced by Pure Data Centres in Madrid and West London.
