Data center firm EdgeMode is looking to expand its footprint in Spain.
The company is looking to develop the 300MW Malpica AI project in the town of Mora, in the province of Toledo.
EdgeMode will be working with hydrogen fuel cell developer Bloom Energy to develop a campus geared toward artificial intelligence workloads.
The initiative calls for an investment of €3 billion ($3.42bn) and is intended to form part of a network of European facilities specializing in high-performance computing and artificial intelligence.
The mayor of Mora, Emilio Bravo, described the project as “a turning point that could change the history of Mora and Castilla-La Mancha.” He also reported that the project will create 3,000 direct jobs and 2,500 indirect jobs during the construction phase, and that once operational, it will provide nearly 1,000 jobs (engineers, technicians, security personnel, administrative staff, etc.).
At this time, the project is in a preliminary phase. During the presentation ceremony this month, the parties signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance its development; therefore, the investment must still navigate the relevant administrative, financing, and implementation processes.
According to Charlie Faulkner, CEO of EdgeMode, Mora was chosen due to its proximity to Madrid and its strong relationship with local authorities.
Rather than initially relying on the conventional power grid, the campus will use its own generation infrastructure, consisting of 30 10MW fuel cell modules supplied by Bloom Energy and powered by natural gas.
This model would reduce the campus’s deployment time—one of the main challenges currently facing large data center projects in Europe due to limited access to electrical capacity. The developers maintain that this autonomous system would facilitate the facility’s entry into operation within an estimated 18 to 24 months from the start of construction.
The Mora campus would be one of the largest digital infrastructure projects announced in Spain in terms of installed capacity.
EdgeMode is currently developing an AI data center platform in Spain as part of a joint venture with Blackberry Alternative Investment Fund (BAIF). In December, the company announced that it had secured 1.5GW of firm power for the platform, which is expected to comprise a 120MW data center in Córdoba, Andalusia; 100MW facilities in Vianos and Alcaraz, Albacete; and a 100MW facility in Toledo.
This month, the company said its Spanish pipeline totals more than 4.35GW of planned capacity across eight sites.
Reports that EdgeMode was partnering with a major fuel cell provider surfaced earlier this year.
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