A new report reveals how Mediterranean cities are reshaping Europe’s data center landscape, with strategic subsea cable landings and renewable energy resources driving significant infrastructure investment across the region.
The study from DC Byte spotlights data center development across the Mediterranean, where Marseille stands out as Europe’s most connected city by subsea cables and France’s second-largest data center hub.
The report focuses on four emerging digital infrastructure markets – Marseille, Barcelona, Genoa, and Crete – highlighting how each city is becoming critical to Europe’s evolving data strategy.
Data Gateway Marseille
Marseille continues to solidify its role as a key Mediterranean data center market, combining strategic subsea connectivity with growing infrastructure investment and renewable energy integration.
With 58 MW of live IT capacity and 12 active subsea cable landings, Marseille is not only a gateway for data moving between Europe, Africa, and Asia, but also a proving ground for sovereign cloud projects and sustainable energy-powered facilities.
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of France’s live IT capacity is in Paris. Of the 58 MW in Marseille, Digital Realty provides 43.8 MW, or 76% of the market share, spread across four facilities in and around the Marseille-Fos Port, DC Byte said.
Digital Realty is also planning to expand with two additional projects, MRS5 and MRS6, while another major development in the region is a sovereign cloud facility announced by Swedish operator Evroc.
The area hosts floating offshore wind farms and solar energy projects, while hydrogen production is ramping up via a new initiative from H2V, which is building a green hydrogen facility at the port.
This push for clean energy has allowed hyperscale providers like Microsoft and Digital Realty to sign power purchase agreements (PPAs) in the region. However, the MRS6 project by Digital Realty has become a focal point of local objections.
“Balancing infrastructure growth with community and environmental concerns is difficult but achievable,” Olivia Ford, DC Byte research analyst, told Data Center Knowledge. “Transparent engagement with the local community, including early dialogue, is crucial in building trust and addressing impacts early.”
She added that sustainable infrastructure design and planning would be key to appease governments and locals.
“Retrofitting existing industrial sites, modular designs, and renewable energy sources are just some ways operators can minimize their environmental footprint,” Ford said.
Barcelona: A Maturing Market with AI-Ready Infrastructure
Barcelona, Spain’s second-largest data center market after Madrid, is undergoing rapid expansion with 63 MW of live IT power, 22 MW under construction, 51 MW committed, and an additional 104 MW in early planning.
The city is also expanding its role in global connectivity with live subsea cables like 2Africa and Medloop, and future landings including Medusa and EMIC-1, which will extend its digital reach into North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
The report pointed out the area’s energy mix – solar, wind, and proximity to the Ascó Nuclear Power Plant – supports a low-carbon supply. Operators like AQ Compute are building centers designed to run entirely on renewables.
“Locations with reliable power availability are highly sought after, and this has meant a shift from traditional site selection, which primarily prioritized network connectivity,” explained Kristina Lesnjak, DC Byte senior analyst.
Genoa: A Dual Role in European and Intercontinental Connectivity
The Italian city of Genoa is emerging as a strategic digital node along the Mediterranean, serving both as a subsea cable landing site and a bridge to Milan, one of Europe’s fastest-growing data center markets.
The Equinix GN1 facility hosts the 2Africa cable landing, directly linked to Equinix’s Milan assets. The recently landed BlueMed system connects Genoa to Palermo and Milan, terminating at STACK Infrastructure’s Siziano campus.
This infrastructure gives Genoa both regional agility and intercontinental reach. The city also functions as a low-latency exchange point for intra-European traffic and a resilient node for long-haul routes connecting Europe to Dubai, Nairobi, and beyond.
Perhaps a surprising entry, Crete is emerging as a strategic connectivity point linking Europe, Asia and Africa via submarine cables. Image: Alamy
Crete: Fastest-Growing Capacity in the Mediterranean
Though smaller in total capacity, Crete is currently the fastest-growing data center market in the region. In 2023, its capacity growth was 60% year over year, more than double Marseille’s 27% over the same period.
“Crete is emerging as an attractive hub due to its stable political environment, adherence to EU regulations, and relatively low energy costs compared to Western Europe,” said DC Byte research analyst Ben Taylor.
Major hyperscale cloud providers such as Microsoft and Google are expanding into Greece, including infrastructure projects that extend to Crete, spurred by increasing demand for cloud services, AI processing, and content delivery in Southeast Europe.
The report highlighted Crete’s abundant renewable energy resources and political stability, which made it an attractive destination for sustainable data center development.
“The island is becoming increasingly well-connected, with major upcoming submarine cable systems like 2Africa, Medusa, Thetis, and the East-to-Med Corridor linking Southern and Eastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East,” Taylor said.