Italian environmental procedure publishes the applicant's own project documents, which is why the two halls at Settala are publicly known by Microsoft's internal design names - RDD, served by eight standby generators, and Ballard, served by five. The site occupies about two hectares at Caleppio di Settala, on the Paullese at kilometre 10 of the former state road 415, in the Città Metropolitana di Milano, on industrial-zoned land Microsoft bought from the Akno Group. The Comune di Settala issued building permit 1/2021 on 31 March 2021, and Regione Lombardia's decree 16087 of 24 November 2021 screened the project out of full environmental impact assessment. Three compliance checks closed during 2023 and the building was inaugurated on 23 November 2023, the year Azure's Italy North region went live. Water comes from the shallow aquifer at an average of 0.6 litres per second, peaking at 8. The thirteen generators total 62 MW of thermal input, which is not a measure of IT load. The screening application, istanza 6197, opened on 23 June 2021. Microsoft's Italian programme, announced in October 2024 at 4.3 billion euro, was roughly 20 percent complete by May 2025.
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Frequently asked questions
How many buildings stand on the Settala site?
Two, identified in the Lombardy environmental file as RDD and Ballard - Microsoft's internal design-generation names - served by thirteen standby generators between them, eight for RDD and five for Ballard.
What did Regione Lombardia authorise?
Decree 16087 of 24 November 2021, which excluded the project from full environmental impact assessment after screening, with conditions on mitigation and on air-quality monitoring during generator maintenance. The Comune di Settala had issued building permit 1/2021 on 31 March 2021.
When did the building open?
23 November 2023, the same year Microsoft's Azure Italy North region launched. It was reported locally as the first of three Microsoft facilities planned in the province of Milan.
What does the water permit allow?
Abstraction from the shallow aquifer at an average of 0.6 litres per second, with a peak of 8 litres per second.
What does the 62 MW figure refer to?
The combined thermal input of the site's thirteen diesel standby generators, taken from the environmental screening file. It is not electrical capacity, and no IT load has been published for Settala.
What has the municipality received?
More than 5 million euro through development charges, IMU property tax and the planning convention signed with Microsoft in 2021.