Global digital infrastructure platform Phoenix Group has entered into a partnership with DC Max to develop an $8bn (€6.8bn) European data centre pipeline with a total capacity of 1GW.
Under the partnership, French data centre developer DC Max will provide expertise in site origination, permitting and grid access. Phoenix said it will contribute the necessary capital and operational scale.
UAE-headquartered Phoenix said the partnership is developing an 18MW facility in Lyon, France, as its first asset, marking the inaugural deployment of the Phoenix European Data Centre Platform, which targets more than 1GW of combined capacity across Europe and the GCC.
Munaf Ali, co-founder and group chief executive of Phoenix Group, said: “What we are announcing today is not an incremental step; it is a genuine inflection point for Phoenix and for what an Emirati company can achieve on the global stage. We are establishing a presence at the heart of European AI infrastructure, bringing the conviction and capital to build something that will compound in value for years to come.
“The 1GW ambition is not a ceiling; it is a starting point. I am proud that it is a company headquartered in Abu Dhabi that is leading this charge, and I believe this is precisely the kind of bold, global move that our shareholders, our partners, and the UAE’s own AI ambitions deserve.”
Together, the two companies aim to create a scalable, long-term infrastructure platform capable of delivering AI-ready capacity at speed across key European markets.
Romain Fremont, CEO of DC Max, said: “Phoenix brings exactly the kind of operational scale and capital discipline that French data center development has been waiting for.
“We have spent years identifying and securing the best power positions in this market, in Lyon and across France, and this partnership means we can now move on that pipeline at a pace and scale that would not have been possible independently. The demand is there. The sites are there. What this partnership adds is the ability to deliver.”
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