What if Microsoft built a huge complex near Rennes? The company is thinking about it, and is even eyeing an area formerly occupied by… PSA.
Data centers have become an indispensable element of our society. They have the difficult task of operating an Internet that has become democratized throughout the world, and it is even thanks to them that you can read this article.
Microsoft is one of the biggest players in this industry, so it’s no surprise to see it continually building new data centers across the world. And, one of his future projects could well be found not far from you.
When a tech giant is interested in the factories of an automobile giant
Finding a place to build a multi-hectare complex is never an easy task. Not only do you need to have the necessary space, but you also need to obtain permission to start such a business. In France, where the artificialization of land is becoming a major issue for the authorities, this could even be a mission impossible.
Well, almost, because the law “ Climate and Resilience » of August 22, 2021, which limits construction projects on agricultural land, does not apply everywhere, like industrial zones. All that remains is to find a company ready to free up a few dozen hectares, and you have the ideal place to install a data center. Microsoft understands this well and may have even found what it needs in Chartres-de-Bretagne, south of Rennes.
In fact, PSA vacated part of its Janais industrial complex there, due to insufficient production volume. The available space would be enough to accommodate up to three data centers, and Microsoft has reportedly initiated discussions on this subject with the city’s mayor, Philippe Bonnin. For the American giant, this is a fairly important project, which could cost it several billion euros, according to our colleagues at Telegram.
A project that divides, rightly so
For the Breton elected official, it is a difficult offer to refuse. The Rennes area is starting to build a reputation in the field of digital technology and cybersecurity, and the presence of a major tech player would be a real asset. “ The challenge is also that of the digitalization of industrial processes, which will tomorrow be a factor of competitiveness for the French economy », he insists
But now, Microsoft is not the first American giant to be interested in PSA’s old plots, since Amazon has already been there in 2021, without much success. The latter, in fact, found himself faced with an implacable interlocutor, whose identity the locals have surely already guessed: the Rennes Metropolis. Chaired by the socialist mayor of Rennes, Nathalie Appéré, it owns part of the land concerned, and already has its own vision of the future of the site, wishing to establish companies concerned about environmental issues there.
We cannot say that data centers, which consume enormous amounts of resources, are in line with the objectives of the mayor and her environmentalist allies. However, this is not the only argument put forward by detractors of Microsoft’s project. Indeed, Frédéric Mathieu, Insoumis deputy for the constituency, underlines that there is an issue of national sovereignty here, the United States having the right to consult the data processed by its companies, even abroad.
Does this mean that the American firm will never be able to establish itself in the land of sausages? For the moment, she has not followed up on the discussions, but says “ open for the future “. However, according to a source close to the matter and relayed by The Telegram“ We do not feel much progress on the side of the competent communities in terms of economic development, whether it is Rennes metropolis or the Region » It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will be able to find the right words to convince the elected officials of the Breton capital (by affirming that Brittany is the most beautiful region in France, for example, which is entirely factual in any case).
Source : The Telegram
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