Pure Data Centres Secures Approval for €400m Madrid Campus
Pure Data Centres Group (Pure DC) has received final planning approval for the first phase of its €400m (US$462.9m) data centre development in Madrid. The project includes a private substation and an initial 30MW facility, forming part of a wider campus with a potential capacity of up to 70MW.
The site, known as MAD01, sits within Madrid’s hyperscale availability zones, where demand for land and power continues to exceed supply.
Pure DC expects construction work to begin in November 2025, with early activity focused on high voltage connections from the Iberdrola power substation and the build of the company’s own substation.
New substation designed for modern grid demands
A central feature of the project is Pure DC’s private substation, which will use Siemens Blue Switchgear GIS. This equipment replaces traditional insulating gases with alternatives that produce zero greenhouse gas emissions, contain no toxic decomposition products and do not require special handling.
Pure DC states that the Meco substation will be one of the first in Spain to deploy this technology.
Local authorities have backed the development, citing both infrastructure benefits and job creation.
“This license approval highlights the constructive dialogue and collaboration between Pure DC and our City Council,” says Pedro L. Sanz, Mayor of Meco Municipality.
“The project not only reinforces our city's position as a technology hub but marks a mutual achievement that will boost employment and the digital future of our region.”
Pure DC expects the substation to be completed by early 2027. Once energised, construction of the data halls will proceed.
High-density data halls with water-efficient cooling
The MAD01 campus will include high-density data halls designed around a modular build approach. Pure DC intends this to support predictable delivery schedules as well as customer-specific configurations. The company plans to offer both air-cooled and liquid-cooled compute environments, with both options operating on closed-loop systems that use no water.
Cooling flexibility has become a focal point for hyperscale and AI workloads in Spain due to rising rack densities and constraints on water availability in specific regions. Pure DC says the Madrid project has been engineered with these requirements in mind.
The company will also upgrade local electricity and telecommunications infrastructure as part of the project.
During construction, more than 400 jobs are expected to be created, with Pure DC planning to work with local contractors where possible. Once operational, the site will support more than 50 permanent roles including engineering, facilities management and security.
Meeting Madrid’s demand for new capacity
Demand for digital infrastructure in Madrid continues to rise, driven by cloud expansion, low-latency connectivity requirements and new AI deployments. Supply, however, has been limited by power availability and the scarcity of suitable land.
“Like many major European cities, Madrid’s demand for digital infrastructure far out-strips the supply coming online,” says Dame Dawn Childs, CEO of Pure DC.
“Pure DC’s ability to bring on new low-latency, high-quality capacity in such supply constrained locations demonstrates our capability to deliver compelling partnerships for local authorities, potential customers and our supply chain.”
MAD01 builds on Pure DC’s strategy of developing large-scale, resilient sites supported by private substations. The company positions these substations as a way to improve energy reliability, reduce grid bottlenecks and support long-term campus expansion.
As Phase 1 progresses towards its 2027 milestone, the Madrid campus is set to extend Pure DC’s presence in Europe while adding new capacity to a market where low-latency, high-density data halls remain in short supply.
