Overview

• Construction began Monday with a cornerstone ceremony in Hanau on the grounds of a former U.S. barracks.
• Investor Data4 says it operates ten data centers in six European countries and intends the Hanau site to serve as a strategic node for Germany.
• Waste heat from the facility is slated to feed Hanau’s district heating network to supply local residents.
• The project entails about €2 billion in investment and is projected to add roughly 180 megawatts of capacity to the Rhein-Main region.
• Industry group Bitkom argues Germany needs more homegrown data-center and cloud capacity to reduce reliance on foreign providers and strengthen digital sovereignty.