Neocloud Antimatter Signs €580 Million Contract With CloudGrid Energy for 280 Policloud Units
29,000 GPUs and 35 MW deployed on renewable energy sites across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden by end 2027. First unit already in operation.
PARIS, FRANCE, June 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- CloudGrid Energy, a company specialising in the development and operation of decentralised digital infrastructure units powered by renewable energy, and Policloud, a French company within the Antimatter Group specialising in distributed computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence, have reached a new strategic milestone in the development of decentralised digital infrastructure in Europe.The two companies have announced the signing of a framework agreement for the supply of 280 Policloud units, which are to be deployed by CloudGrid Energy by the end of 2027. The agreement is intended to accelerate the deployment of distributed computing capacity powered by renewable energy and tailored to meet the growing demands of artificial intelligence.
Sixteen sites have already been secured in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden. The deployment of all 280 units will ultimately provide access to 29,000 GPUs (graphics processing units for AI) and 2,000,000 vCPUs (virtual computing units), with a total energy capacity of 35 MW.
This infrastructure, which will be deployed in just 18 months, will finally give European companies access to affordable, sovereign, high-performance computing infrastructure. Until now, this has been reserved for the largest global digital players. It will enable companies to develop and operate open-source AI models such as Mistral, Nemo, and Magistral.
Under this agreement, CloudGrid Energy will lead the development, financing and operation of Policloud unit deployment projects on sites offering green, competitively priced energy; controlled land availability; and existing grid connections. These sites primarily comprise renewable energy facilities, such as solar plants, wind farms and biomass plants, as well as electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Deployment partners include Urbasolar, one of Europe’s leading independent photovoltaic energy producers. Urbasolar provides access to its portfolio of solar plants and manages the installation, permitting and grid connection processes. This partnership will contribute significantly to the development of Antimatter’s European portfolio, which includes projects developed with other renewable energy producers and decarbonised infrastructure operators. The first unit is already operational at the Bonne Voisine site in the Aube region of France.
Addressing the rapid growth in demand for AI computing
This framework agreement has been reached at a time when hyperscaler capacity is under severe strain. Microsoft has reported that it has approximately $80 billion worth of unfulfilled Azure contracts, primarily due to limited access to energy. According to Deloitte, inference is expected to account for around two-thirds of the global demand for AI computing in 2026, compared to one-third in 2023. The International Energy Agency also predicts that data centre electricity consumption will double between 2022 and 2026.
Policloud's distributed computing model, which is deployed close to energy production sites, offers measurable gains in latency, resilience and operating costs compared to traditional hyperscale architectures. It also ensures a local, decarbonised energy supply.
Each Policloud unit is a high-performance computing module that is interconnected with the Poligrid distributed network. It can be deployed on-site within a few months and integrates high-performance GPUs and CPUs, storage capacity, a water-free cooling system and ultra-high-speed connectivity. Its modular and portable architecture enables gradual scaling and local maintenance without the constraints of traditional data centres, while requiring minimal space and reducing land costs.
Infrastructure for European AI companies
This computing capacity is primarily aimed at SMEs, startups, and European entrepreneurs currently facing high inference costs and increasing dependence on non-European hyperscalers and neoclouds. By offering a sovereign, decarbonized, accessible, and competitive solution, Policloud and CloudGrid Energy aim to foster the emergence of a new generation of European players developing AI applications within the continent.
A solution backed by public institutions
INRIA, the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology, is an investor in the Antimatter group through Inria Studio. Alongside Hivenet, another group company, the institute is also conducting joint research on distributed computing and energy efficiency. The distributed computing model deployed by Policloud stems from this close collaboration.
This technology has been awarded the Deep Tech label, recognizing innovations derived from French research with strong industrial potential. Supported by Bpifrance, the Antimatter group also counts One Ragtime among its investors, a French venture capital firm focused on European tech. The signing of this framework agreement between Policloud and CloudGrid Energy brings this shared vision of sovereign European computing infrastructure into industrial-scale deployment.
« European digital sovereignty is not declared—it is built site by site. With CloudGrid Energy, we are deploying distributed computing infrastructure where renewable energy is produced and connected—locally and efficiently. Our approach significantly accelerates access for SMEs, startups, and European entrepreneurs to the resources needed to develop sovereign AI solutions, fulfilling our mission to make AI accessible to as many people as possible. »
David Gurlé, Founder and CEO of Antimatter and Policloud
« Europe has tremendous renewable energy potential, still underexploited, to meet the needs of the digital economy. This framework agreement with Policloud is a foundational step for CloudGrid Energy: it brings our strategy to deploy digital infrastructure units directly on renewable energy or EV charging sites across Europe to life. Our ambition is to build a sovereign European computing network, site by site, in close partnership with energy producers. »
Eric Reisse, President of CloudGrid Energy
« This partnership illustrates the growing convergence between the energy transition and the digital transition. By hosting computing infrastructure near our photovoltaic plants, we help valorize local renewable energy while supporting the development of a competitive and decarbonized European digital capacity.»
Antoine Millioud, President of Urbasolar
« We invested from the very beginning in Antimatter group companies, betting that European digital sovereignty would be built through the industrialization of technologies originating from French research. The contract signed with CloudGrid Energy is a concrete demonstration of this: a deep tech innovation developed with INRIA, deployed at European scale, serving businesses across the continent.»
Stéphanie Hospital, Founder and CEO of One Ragtime
Belrhiti Rachid
antimatter
rachid.belrhiti@antimatter.com
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