Microsoft: Settala Campus

Microsoft's Settala campus occupies a 4.9-hectare (12-acre) plot in Caleppio di Settala, a hamlet of Settala in the Metropolitan City of Milan. It sits on the north side of the SP 415 Paullese at km 10, about 6 km east of the Milan city boundary. The Km 10 retail park and the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano border it.

Land and planning. Microsoft bought the land from AKNO Group in October 2020. The plot is Settala's "Ambito M3" transformation area, which Dondi Costruzioni had earlier planned for industrial use. Settala approved Microsoft's implementation plan in January 2021 and signed the planning agreement in February 2021. The agreement caps gross floor area at 15,134 m2. It also commits Microsoft to a cycle path and green works along the Muzzetta springs. The town issued the building permit in March 2021.

Environmental review. The combined emergency generator fleet exceeds 50 MWth, so Italy's environment ministry screened the campus (ID_VIP 6197). It excluded the project from a full EIA with conditions in 2022 and amended the decree in 2023. Microsoft 4825 Italy S.r.l. operates the campus.

Power and cooling. E-Distribuzione feeds the campus over three medium-voltage lines. Two come from the Caleppio di Settala primary substation, and a backup line comes from the Zelo Buon Persico primary substation. Finning supplied Caterpillar diesel emergency generators rated 1.5 MW and 3.2 MW, plus smaller admin units. Enel Energia supplies electricity with renewable guarantees of origin. Rooftop solar serves the admin areas, and Microsoft committed a carport array of about 205 kWp. The server halls use direct evaporative free cooling, fed by the municipal water network and three on-site wells.

Region. The campus is a Microsoft-owned site of the Azure Italy North region, which Microsoft launched in June 2023 with three data centers in Lombardy. Lombardy president Attilio Fontana and Microsoft Italy CEO Vincenzo Esposito attended its inauguration in November 2023.