The 50-50 joint venture would target 400 megawatts of capacity, with Orange contributing five French data centres and closing expected in Q1 2027, subject to approvals.
Orange and infrastructure investor Morrison plan to form a 50-50 data centre joint venture in France, aiming to expand capacity as demand rises for artificial intelligence and cloud services. The platform would target 400 megawatts of capacity, almost 10 times Orange's current level, and be backed by a €3 billion ($3.41 billion) investment programme combining Orange assets, Morrison funding and debt. Orange would contribute five data centres across campuses in Chevilly-Larue, Aubervilliers, Chartres and Val-de-Reuil, while Morrison would provide equity funding from its global value-add strategy to support growth. Orange Business would act as the exclusive partner for distributing colocation and hosting services to enterprises, smaller businesses and public-sector clients, while Orange would retain operational control over dedicated areas hosting its own platforms and services. The companies said they expect to sign the transaction by the end of 2026 and complete it in the first quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and consultations with employee representative bodies.