Phoenix Group, an IHC portfolio company and global digital infrastructure operator, today announced a strategic partnership with DC Max to develop its first European AI data centre, an 18MW facility in Lyon, France.
The project is the inaugural deployment of Phoenix's European Data Centre Platform, a scalable framework targeting over 1GW of combined AI and HPC capacity across Europe and the GCC.
Phoenix sees this move as a direct extension of the UAE’s national AI ambition, a company headquartered in Abu Dhabi to bring its operational expertise and capital to the European stage, ensuring regionally based operators are active shapers, not spectators, of the global AI economy.
“What we are announcing today is not an incremental step; it is a genuine inflection point for Phoenix and for what an Emirati company can achieve on the global stage. We are establishing a presence at the heart of European AI infrastructure, bringing the conviction and capital to build something that will compound in value for years to come," said Munaf Ali, co-founder and group chief executive of Phoenix Group.
"The 1GW ambition is not a ceiling; it is a starting point. I am proud that it is a company headquartered in Abu Dhabi that is leading this charge, and I believe this is precisely the kind of bold, global move that our shareholders, our partners, and the UAE’s own AI ambitions deserve.”
European Opportunity
Demand for AI compute in Europe is rapidly outpacing supply, with enterprises and hyperscalers reserving capacity years in advance. Traditional development timelines, often 36 to 48 months, mean most operators cannot respond at the speed the market requires.
France addresses this gap more directly than almost any other European market. Lyon, France’s second-largest city, combines a strong industrial base, robust electrical infrastructure, and land costs that are significantly lower than in Paris.
DC Max’s established grid access and permitting relationships, combined with Phoenix’s proven ability to design, procure, and build infrastructure at pace, allow the partnership to move materially faster than typical European timescales.
A Platform, Not a Project
The DC Max partnership is structured as a repeatable development model rather than a single transaction. With a pipeline of over 1GW of opportunities valued at an estimated $8 billion, DC Max contributes deep expertise in site origination, permitting, and grid access. At the same time, Phoenix brings capital and operational scale.
Together, the two companies aim to create a scalable, long-term infrastructure platform capable of delivering AI-ready capacity at speed across key European markets.
This platform sits alongside Phoenix’s existing 550MW of deployed capacity across the UAE, Oman, North America, and Ethiopia, supporting its ambition to become a scaled global digital infrastructure operator.
“Phoenix brings exactly the kind of operational scale and capital discipline that French data centre development has been waiting for," said Romain Fremont, chief executive of DC Max.
"We have spent years identifying and securing the best power positions in this market, in Lyon and across France, and this partnership means we can now move on that pipeline at a pace and scale that would not have been possible independently. The demand is there. The sites are there. What this partnership adds is the ability to deliver.”
Further announcements are expected in 2026.
