6.7 %. This is the annual average growth rate expected on the European data center market over the 2022-2027 period, according to Mordor Intelligence. This growth is driven in particular by the development of 5G, the growth of edge computing solutions and companies’ increasing adoption of the cloud. In this context, European champions are investing and developing. This is the case of Data4, which has just announced massive investment in Germany to build one of the largest data center campuses in Europe and strengthen its position on the European market, while consolidating its ambition to become the benchmark pan-European player in the sector.
A 25-hectare and 180 MW data center campus
The new data center campus will be built on the Grossauheim barracks site, a former US military base located in Hanau, a town near Frankfurt. Data4 already has major land and electricity reserves in France, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg and Poland, which will be reinforced by this new project to reach 185 ha and 843 MW. The acquisition of this 25-hectare site took place only one year after its establishment in Poland was announced: proof of the group’s dynamism.
Sustainability at the heart of the Hanau campus’s construction and operational management
Data4 is committed to sustainable development using electricity 100% offset by renewable energy. A ten-hectare photovoltaic park is being studied to supplement this approach. In terms of infrastructure, a combined heat and electricity plant and a sub-station are also planned near the site. Discussions are underway concerning the reuse of the unavoidable heat produced by Data4 data centers to benefit the residents of Hanau.
At the same time, Data4 is also committed to several measures aiming to protect local species, with the creation of a habitat to resettle lizards, a nesting tower for swifts, as well as bat roosts and shelters. The campus will be built with respect for the environment using mainly recycled materials from demolition which will be reused for the construction.
An opportunity for the town of Hanau
The product to build this new data center campus is part of Hanau’s economic development. The campus will create new jobs within the local community, while putting Hanau on the European data center map.
A clear construction schedule
The demolitions works and building preparations have already been launched, and construction itself will begin in 2024. The delivery of the first module is expected for 2025 and the campus’s development should be fully completed by 2032.
“As part of our ambition to rapidly achieve a capacity of 1 GW and become the pan-European benchmark player in the data center sector, it was vital to develop our business in Germany, one of the key nations in Europe in terms of digital infrastructure. Our aim is to make the Hanau site one of the most powerful, sustainable and innovative data centers in Europe,” concludes Olivier Micheli, Data4 Group CEO.
