Data Centers in Caen

Caen – Reliable Edge Colocation in Normandy

Executive Summary

Caen provides a compelling location for businesses requiring a digital presence in France's Normandy region. Its extremely low overall disaster risk profile makes it a prime candidate for secondary or disaster recovery sites, ensuring operational continuity for workloads sensitive to disruption. This market is ideal for organizations prioritizing uptime and resilience over hyper-connectivity.

Caen: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality As a regional edge market, Caen has a focused set of national and regional carriers available within its single data center, as of September 2025. Connectivity is primarily routed through national backbone networks connecting to Paris, ensuring reliable transport, though diverse long-haul fiber options are limited compared to major metropolitan areas.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps There are no direct public cloud on-ramps located in Caen, as of September 2025. Secure, low-latency access to all major cloud providers, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, is achieved via private network connections to the main interconnection hub in Paris.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) Public peering is not a feature of this market. The vast majority of peering occurs privately or is routed through the major internet exchanges in Paris, such as France-IX. This is a typical architecture for a regional sub-market.

Bare Metal Bare metal server capacity is available, enabling businesses to deploy dedicated hardware for performance-intensive applications. Providers like OVHcloud offer solutions that serve the French market, allowing for customized compute and storage without the overhead of virtualization.

Power Analysis

Average Cost Of Power Industrial power costs in the region are estimated between €0.14 and €0.18/kWh, as of September 2025. France's power grid, dominated by nuclear energy (~68%), provides cost stability and a very low carbon footprint, which can be a significant advantage for ESG-conscious organizations.

Power Grid Reliability The French power grid is well-engineered and highly reliable. The transmission infrastructure serving industrial zones like those in Normandy is built for stability, with data centers typically supported by redundant power feeds from the national grid operator.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

Proximity To Key Business Districts Data centers in Caen are positioned to serve the primary economic drivers of the Normandy region, including port logistics, government services, research institutions, and agriculture. Proximity enables low-latency services for these core local industries.

Regional Market Reach Caen effectively serves as a digital hub for the entire Normandy population. It also functions as an excellent disaster recovery location for businesses with a primary footprint in Paris, located just a few milliseconds of latency away.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers France actively supports digital infrastructure growth. Favorable mechanisms like European Investment Bank (EIB) loan financing can significantly lower the capital expenditure required for building or expanding large-scale data center facilities.

Natural Disaster Risk

Caen has a low natural disaster risk profile, with an INFORM Risk score of 2.7 out of 10, as of September 2025. This indicates a very stable environment for critical infrastructure investments.

While the overall risk is minimal, site selection should account for specific, localized environmental factors. The primary natural hazards for the region are river and coastal flooding, though these risks are well-understood and can be mitigated with proper facility engineering.

Key hazards to note:

• River Flood: 7.5/10
• Coastal Flood: 7.4/10
• Earthquake: 2.8/10