Scaleway buys Qarnot to boost European HPC platform

Scaleway has acquired Qarnot, adding dedicated high-performance computing to its European cloud and AI platform.

Qarnot specialises in computing for engineering, simulation and research workloads. Its systems are used for compute-intensive tasks in aerospace, automotive, energy, manufacturing, life sciences and finance.

The deal brings together two French technology companies focused on European jurisdiction, open technologies and lower-carbon infrastructure. It strengthens Scaleway's position as a European provider combining cloud, AI and dedicated HPC services on one platform.

High-performance computing has become increasingly important for companies running simulations, modelling products and processing large datasets. Demand has also grown among financial institutions that need secure access to intensive compute resources without relying on overseas providers.

Heat recovery

A central part of Qarnot's model is recovering heat produced by servers. The company uses direct liquid-cooling technology and says up to 95% of the heat from its HPC servers can be recovered and redirected to district heating networks, public facilities and industrial sites.

That approach addresses a growing issue for data centres and compute infrastructure in Europe, where electricity use is under increasing scrutiny. Rather than treating server heat as waste, Qarnot has built projects that feed it into local heating systems.

One such deployment is in Brescia, Italy, where Qarnot worked with A2A to connect HPC infrastructure to the city's district heating network. The company has also installed systems at wellness and aquatic centres, where heat from servers is used to warm water.

For Scaleway, the acquisition adds a technology base that could help it expand in industrial and scientific computing while strengthening its environmental case. The company already offers cloud and AI services, and dedicated HPC gives it a route into more specialised workloads that often require large, concentrated bursts of computing power.

Industrial demand

Qarnot's customer list includes MaiaSpace, Alpine Racing, Natixis and ATR Aircraft. Those users reflect how demand for HPC has spread beyond traditional research institutions into companies where simulation, modelling and data protection are central to product development and operations.

In engineering, HPC is used to test designs digitally before physical production, reducing the number of prototypes needed and shortening development cycles. In financial services, the same class of infrastructure supports risk calculations, pricing models and other intensive analytical workloads.

Scaleway says Qarnot's platform allows users to launch complex simulations more easily, run validation cycles more quickly and scale beyond the limits of in-house clusters. Combined with Scaleway's broader cloud infrastructure and backing from the iliad Group, that could extend the offer to more customers across Europe.

The deal also reflects a broader push by European technology groups to promote so-called sovereign infrastructure. In practice, that means hosting data and compute services under European jurisdiction while reducing dependence on non-European providers and proprietary systems.

Both companies have highlighted open source and Open Compute Project standards as part of that strategy, arguing that they support interoperability and reduce the risk of customer lock-in to closed technology stacks.

Damien Lucas, Chief Executive Officer of Scaleway, framed the deal around the energy demands of large-scale computing.

"The next frontier isn't just more efficient compute. It's making sure the energy we can't avoid consuming creates value twice. Tomorrow's cloud platforms won't only be measured by the performance they deliver, but by how intelligently they use the energy they consume. Qarnot's expertise in waste heat recovery helps us move towards that future," he said.

Clément Pellegrini, Chief Technology Officer of Qarnot, said the acquisition would give the company broader resources and access to a larger market.

"Joining Scaleway gives Qarnot the backing of a major European cloud provider and the iliad Group," he said. "It gives us the scale, investment capacity and European reach to bring our HPC expertise to more organisations while continuing to build on the principles that shaped Qarnot from the beginning."