French telecom company Orange and infrastructure investor Morrison announced Monday they are joining forces to establish a data centre joint venture in France, aiming to keep pace with surging demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing services.
The partnership would be structured as an equal 50-50 arrangement, with a target of reaching 400 megawatts of capacity — a figure that represents nearly ten times Orange’s existing capacity in the country. The venture would be backed by a €3 billion (approximately $3.41 billion) investment program drawing on Orange’s existing assets, equity funding from Morrison, and additional debt financing.
Under the terms of the agreement, Orange would bring five of its French data centres into the venture, while Morrison would contribute equity capital to fuel the platform’s expansion.
The two companies anticipate finalizing the transaction agreement by the close of 2026, with the deal expected to be fully completed during the first quarter of 2027, provided all necessary regulatory approvals are secured.
