Bessé-sur-Braye
A two-hundred-year-old mill transformed into one of Europe's largest AI Factories.
From a two-century-old paper mill to one of Europe's largest AI Factories.
Located in Sarthe, in the Pays de la Loire region, the Bessé-sur-Braye site embodies industrial conversion in the service of digital sovereignty. On the 9 hectares of the former ARJOWIGGINS paper mill — a manufactory founded in the 19th century at the instigation of the Comte de Montesquieu to meet the region's employment needs — Éclairion is deploying an AI Infrastructure Factory with a final capacity of 335 MW, the most powerful in its portfolio. The first phase of 75 MW will be delivered in Q3 2027, with a gradual scale-up through to 2032. This site combines industrial heritage, preserved rural landscapes and leading-edge technological ambition.
335 MW of sovereign power anchored in French industrial history.
The Bessé-sur-Braye site is part of the Pays de la Loire territorial revitalisation dynamic, transforming dormant industrial heritage into critical AI infrastructure. Its final capacity of 335 MW makes it a first-order strategic asset for intensive computing needs by 2030. Éclairion's modular architecture guarantees a controlled scale-up, aligned with real client demand.