APL assists IFP Energies nouvelles in the development of a very high-density data center.

Published on May 27, 2026 -

IFPEN, a public research, industrial innovation, and training organization, wanted to install a 110 Tflops supercomputer in a small building that was not initially designed to house an IT room.

Client company

IFP Energies nouvelles

Industry

Public sector

Type of support

Consulting - Project management

Type of service

Development of a very high-density data center

Context and objectives of the assignment

APL was commissioned by IFPEN to build this room, due to its expertise in designing very high-density and eco-efficient data centers.

To adapt an existing building, initially intended for offices, to accommodate a supercomputer with 6 very high-density racks (32 kW/rack) and conventional medium-density servers (4 to 8 kW/rack)
Anticipate the hosting of 6 new very high-density racks (IT load of 200 kW scalable to 400 kW)
Carry out work and installations on an operational site
Optimize the data center's energy consumption

Completed assignments

Requirements definition and feasibility studies
Assistance in supercomputer selection
Research into effective and energy-efficient cooling technologies for each type of IT equipment
IT room urbanization: coexistence of two different density zones in the same volume, coherent cooling systems
Work management on an operational site: technical validation and coordination of intervening companies
Energy optimization: implementation of measurement points to verify the site's energy efficiency

Client benefits

A data center that serves as a true technological showcase in the field of research
Service continuity levels adapted to the needs of a research organization and the hosted equipment
Energy efficiency through the choice of cooling systems adapted to each type of IT equipment
Optimization of energy consumption: target PUE of 1.48 with 100% IT load (i.e., 400 KW IT), saving €28K/year

Our solutions for

APL Data Center designs and optimizes critical infrastructures capable of meeting the major challenges of the digital age: data security, service continuity, scalability, cost control and sustainability.
Through a global approach integrating innovation and CSR, we support every type of client in creating next-generation data centers tailored to their uses and constraints.

Hyperscaler

On the scale of major cloud operators, APL Data Center designs and deploys infrastructures built for performance, resilience and energy efficiency, to support the global rise of cloud and AI and to build the responsible data centers of tomorrow.

Colocation

Faced with the challenges of availability and proximity of digital services, APL Data Center supports hosting providers in creating modular, secure, and scalable data centers. Designed infrastructures meet the needs of distributed cloud and edge architectures.

Company

To support the digital transformation of organizations, APL Data Center designs and optimizes reliable, scalable, and sustainable data centers. These sovereign infrastructures meet the performance, security, and compliance requirements of businesses.

Public sector

Serving public sector actors, APL Data Center designs secure, compliant, and eco-efficient data centers that meet regulatory requirements and digital sovereignty challenges while guaranteeing service continuity.