Why Apto is Betting €2bn on a 240MW Campus in Madrid
Data Infrastructure / Infrastructure Management | 5 min read
Apto has announced plans to invest up to €2 billion (US$2.3bn) in a new hyperscale data centre campus in Madrid — one of the most substantial digital infrastructure projects currently planned in Southern Europe. The campus will be situated on a 195,000m² site in Fuenlabrada, approximately 14km from Madrid's city centre, and is projected to become the largest data centre development in the Madrid cloud region upon completion.
Madrid: One of Europe's Most Dynamic Digital Hubs
"Madrid has quickly established itself as one of Europe's most dynamic digital hubs, and our investment here reflects both the scale of demand and the strength of the region's long-term fundamentals. This landmark campus will give hyperscale customers the capacity, resilience and sustainability they need to grow, while delivering lasting benefits for the local economy and community. It is a major step in Apto's mission to build world-class, sustainable infrastructure across Europe's leading cloud regions."
— Russell Poole, CEO, Apto
Madrid has attracted significant data centre investment due to its robust fibre and subsea cable connectivity, linking the Iberian Peninsula to international digital networks. The region also offers competitive energy costs and a high level of renewable energy generation, particularly solar — making it an increasingly attractive location for hyperscale cloud providers and AI-driven enterprises.
Brownfield Regeneration: From Bottling Plant to Digital Campus
The development is being executed as a brownfield regeneration project, repurposing a site that previously housed an industrial bottling plant formerly occupied by Casbega (Coca-Cola). Rather than consuming greenfield land, Apto is revitalising a disused industrial zone — an approach aligned with modern sustainable construction practices and strongly supported by local authorities.
The site has already been cleared and fully prepared for development, with initial infrastructure works complete including a dedicated on-site 40MW substation to support the first phase of operations. Apto has already initiated work on the second phase, representing a further 122MW of capacity.
A Five-Building, Phased Master Plan
The campus master plan comprises five distinct data centres with a combined total capacity of up to 240MW, designed to serve the high-capacity needs of hyperscale cloud providers and large enterprises. A central pillar of the operational strategy is sustainability — Apto is targeting a power mix where 50% of total energy consumption across the first two phases comes from 100% green energy sources.
Strategic Partnerships and Institutional Support
To deliver this complex project, Apto has formed a strategic partnership with Arnaiz, a Spanish urban planning and real estate development firm with over 50 years of local experience. The collaboration merges Apto's technical expertise in hyperscale infrastructure with Arnaiz's deep understanding of local planning regulations and the Spanish development sector.
The project has received strong institutional backing from the Comunidad de Madrid, Invest in Madrid, the Fuenlabrada municipality, and the European Union through the InvestEU Partnership.
"It's a fundamental project in Fuenlabrada, in an area that was a completely disused industrial zone, which is going to be turned into a data centre that will provide support for cloud services as well as artificial intelligence, which are so necessary to attract high economic value companies to the Community of Madrid."
— Rocío Albert, Councillor for Economy, Taxation and Employment, Comunidad de Madrid
Community Impact: Trees, Paths, and Economic Multipliers
Beyond technical infrastructure, the Fuenlabrada campus is designed to deliver tangible benefits to the local community. Regeneration plans include extensive landscaping with thousands of trees and shrubs to improve biodiversity and visual aesthetics, alongside public walking paths and recreational areas. Sustainable construction practices and low-emission mobility initiatives for the workforce are also embedded in the design.
According to industry association Spain DC, for every euro invested in data centre infrastructure, more than seven euros in economic value is generated for the local community — underlining the long-term economic significance of the Apto investment for the Fuenlabrada region.
Key Takeaways
- • Apto is investing up to €2bn (US$2.3bn) in a hyperscale data centre campus in Fuenlabrada, Madrid — set to be the largest in the region at 240MW across five buildings.
- • The project repurposes a 195,000m² former industrial bottling plant in a brownfield regeneration approach aligned with sustainable construction practices.
- • A 40MW substation is already operational on-site, and Phase 2 (122MW) is underway; 50% of energy across the first two phases will come from 100% green sources.
- • The project is backed by the Comunidad de Madrid, Invest in Madrid, Fuenlabrada municipality, and the EU InvestEU Partnership.
- • Spain DC data indicates every €1 invested in data centres generates more than €7 in local economic value — amplifying the community significance of this investment.