Interxion opens second Marseille data centre
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Interxion opens second Marseille data centre

Interxion has completed the first phase of its second data centre facility in Marseille, adding 700sqm of equip-able space to the site.

The expansion of Interxion’s Marseille facility includes the addition of MRS2 and MRS3, two new data centres, with the first stage of MRS2 now officially open.

The opening comes four years after Interxion acquired MRS1 – its first data centre in the French city – which had been the SFR Netcenter data centre for a total of around €45 million, of which €20m million was associated with the purchase of the freehold land and buildings.

The new phase, which is now completed, consists of 700 sqm of equipable space, while the second will offer 1,900 sqm from the second quarter of 2019. Overall, MRS2 is expected to cost around €76 million.

“Opening MRS2 is an important second step for Interxion in developing Marseille as a digital hub,” said David Ruberg (pictured), Interxion CEO. “This investment in the heart of the Mediterranean will help us to respond to the growing demand of our customers who wish to expand to Marseille to develop their activity in Europe and to reach emerging markets in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.”

The development of MRS2 has seen Interxion refurbish some installations in the historic Marseille Fos Port, which were previously used for port activities. The new facility is located in former naval workshops that have been unoccupied since the 1990s.

The expansion comes amid growing demand for data in Europe and onward connectivity to the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The Cisco Visual Networking Index estimates that internet traffic in the Middle East and Africa is set to grow six-fold by 2020 to 10.9 exabytes per month. Traffic in Asia Pacific is forecast to grow three-fold to 67.8 exabytes per month over the same period.

Colt, for example, has already announced plans for a new point of presence in MRS2.

Marseille traditionally served as a trading port for the Greeks and Romans, but has now became a connectivity hub, with the likes of Interxion, Orange and numerous other companies operating there. Overall, 13 subsea cable systems land in the French city.

Jean-Claude Gaudin, president of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, mayor of Marseille, honorary vice-president of the French Senate said: “We are particularly proud to attend the inauguration of Interxion’s MRS2 data centre, an addition to the several assets the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis has in the digital field. These vast centres of IT servers that store and process data for companies support the digital transformation of our territory. 

“Located in the Port of Marseille Fos, this new site has a role to play in supporting the development of Marseille as a global hub for telecom, cloud and digital exchanges. It reflects the willingness of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis to place the digital sector at the very heart of its development and attractiveness strategy.”

MRS2 is located just 4km away from the original MRS1 site, but offers a diverse location in the city for carriers and OTTs. Since buying MRS1, Interxion has seen the number of networks present in the city more than double to 135 highlighting demand.

Mike Hollands – Interxion’s director of marketing & business development, connectivity segment – recently told Capacity that adding a second location on a nearby site “adds resilience” and came following demand from the data centre provider’s customer base. READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE

Fabrice Coquio, managing director of Interxion France, added: “MRS2 is the continuation of what we started with MRS1 when Interxion acquired the facility in 2014. I am proud and honoured today to open this new data centre, which is particularly notable due to its position within the grounds of Marseille Fos Port, forming, together with MRS1, the Interxion’s Marseille Campus. The number of telecom providers in Marseille is growing with the arrival of cloud and digital media platforms, confirming Marseille not only as a connectivity hub but as a content hub.”

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