SPIE innovates and deploys artificial intelligence to meet the needs of Thésée DataCenter

Paris, 02 April 2020 – 

SPIE ICS, the digital services subsidiary of SPIE France, supports the technical execution of Thésée DataCenter. Independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, SPIE brings its technical expertise to this project, a 100% French, innovative project with a low environmental impact, set to be launched in early 2021 in Aubergenville (Yvelines - France).

SPIE ICS specialises in services related to ICT¹ infrastructure, from user environments to data centres. The subsidiary was selected to provide the technical implementation of this particularly innovative colocation² data centre. As a result of this selection, SPIE ICS was entrusted to provide pre-integration consultancy and engineering services as well as to install various pieces of technical and security equipment. This ambitious contract is the culmination of a close relationship that began in 2016.

“We are proud to see this project become reality and to be one of the main operators. We placed our trust in the founders of Thésée DataCenter at a very early stage and their boldness and understanding of the technical challenges were instrumental in this,” said Fabrice Raison, Department Director at SPIE ICS. “We are even happier that we share common DNA: our desire to bring together technological innovations and energy efficiency.” From September 2020, over 40 SPIE ICS staff members will be mobilised on this site, which has been modelled in BIM³. Project sign-off is scheduled to take place on 28 February 2021.

The SPIE ICS teams will use all their technical data centre skills as part of this mission. In particular, they will focus on implementing state-of-the-art technologies that make it possible to guarantee that the project’s energy performance objectives are met. Specifically, these objectives include achieving electricity consumption that is 25% less than that of the latest colocation data centres together with a 25% reduction in the carbon footprint. “In addition to the free-cooling solution⁴, we also used artificial intelligence techniques. The temperature in the room will be managed and regulated by sensors and the data they provide will be analysed by algorithms in real time. This means that, 90% of the time, the IT rooms will be cooled without consuming any electricity,” states Fabrice Raison.

SPIE ICS has also provided further expertise by securing the site using a security infrastructure with seven access levels between the entrance to the site and access to the private IT bays and obligatory passing points with the latest biometric and video-surveillance technology. These will be linked to the technical building management system as well as a service portal open to the customers of Thésée DataCenter.

About Thésée DataCenter
Built on a 3-hectare site along the French A13 motorway, Thésée DataCenter is comprised of 6 independent buildings with unprecedented features: enhanced security, the highest energy efficiency in France (indirect free-cooling technology⁵ with adiabatic system⁶), scalable power allowing the hosting of high-density racks (up to 20-30 kW), Tier IV⁷ certification, etc.
This project targets private and public customers concerned about the security and sovereignty of their data, as well as cloud-computing service companies that are particularly careful to have efficient, independent infrastructures with high storage capacities.

1 Information and Communication Technology
² A colocation centre or "carrier hotel" is a type of data centre where equipment, space and bandwith are aviailable for rental to retail customers.
³ BIM or Building Information Modelling is an intelligent process based on a 3D model that provides professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) with the information and tools they need to plan, design and manage buildings and infrastructure more efficiently.
⁴ This is a technique that consists in limiting the use of air-conditioning by cooling a building using outside air.
⁵ Outside air heat exchanger with no risk of contaminating the IT room.
⁶Bioclimatic system based on water evaporation. Outside air heat exchanger with no risk of contaminating the IT room.
⁷According the Uptime Institute classification.