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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
National
RFI

Digital boom makes Marseille a global data hub – but at what cost?

Interxion has converted a reinforced concrete bunker built by the Germans during the Second World War at Marseille's harbour to house its data centre MRS3. © Interxion

Marseille – Marseille has emerged as the world’s sixth-largest internet hub, surpassing even Hong Kong and becoming a global crossroads for internet traffic. Data centres continue to proliferate across the city, but the expansion is not without controversy as locals raise concerns about the environmental impact.

"These data centres consume a huge amount of electricity. So that's a problem. Especially since these neighbourhoods lack green spaces," Jean-Pierre Lapebie, president of the local residents' organisation Cap au Nord, told RFI.

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