Marseille – Marseille has emerged as the world’s sixth-largest internet hub, surpassing even Hong Kong and becoming a global crossroads for internet traffic. Data centres continue to proliferate across the city, but the expansion is not without controversy as locals raise concerns about the environmental impact.
"These data centres consume a huge amount of electricity. So that's a problem. Especially since these neighbourhoods lack green spaces," Jean-Pierre Lapebie, president of the local residents' organisation Cap au Nord, told RFI.
He was one of around 30 people gathered in protest in front of what will be Marseille’s fifth data centre.
"There’s a population here that’s struggling with serious hardship. And these people are being left out of any discussion or initiative," he added.
Digital Realty, a company that has been based in Marseille for 10 years, is behind the development of the data centres and is pushing ahead with the plans to build its fifth facility.
"Here’s an example of a server room. You can see a number of devices," explained Fabrice Coquio, Digital Realty's CEO, walking through a room full of electronic towers.
"We colocate our clients’ IT investments so that tonight or tomorrow, you can place an online order, check your bank account, renew your license online, or just send an email to your grandmother."
These data centres store corporate data and connect different organisations.
"Here, on these high-density racks, we’re connecting person A with person B, person C with person D, and so on," Coquio continued.
These facilities take up space and also need to be cooled. On the building’s roof, massive pipes and large tanks do this job.
"All these systems are cooling units. It’s kind of like the motor behind your refrigerator at home – except they’re a bit bigger," the CEO explained.
Environmental regulations
In response to residents' concerns, Coquio says: "It’s totally legitimate to have questions, because once you have IT machines, they do consume energy."
But he emphasised that the new data centre project is in line with environmental regulations. "You have to understand that in France, you can’t just do whatever you want – thankfully.
"You can’t build a data centre without permission. And then there are audits to check that everything complies with regulations. Which is absolutely normal."
For now, nothing is stopping the project from moving forward and the new centre is expected to be completed by 2026.
This report was adapted from the RFI podcast Reportage en France produced by Siam Spencer.
