Germany’s Schwarz Group, the owner of Lidl, is planning to invest up to €5.6 billion ($6.5 billion) in a major data centre in northern Germany as Europe accelerates efforts to strengthen its digital independence.
The complex, which will be built near Rostock in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, is expected to begin construction in 2027 and create around 120 jobs.
By 2033, the data centre is projected to have a capacity of 240 megawatts, equivalent to the average electricity consumption of about 600,000 households. The facility could eventually expand to 1 gigawatt by 2045.
Schwarz Group said the centre will operate exclusively on renewable energy during normal operations and use a closed-loop water-cooling system designed to reduce water consumption. Discussions are also underway with the city of Rostock about using excess heat from the facility for residential heating.
The investment comes as Germany and other European countries seek to reduce their dependence on overseas providers of cloud computing and artificial intelligence services, while addressing growing cybersecurity concerns.
The project marks a significant expansion of Schwarz Group’s technology ambitions beyond its retail operations and highlights the rapidly growing demand for large-scale digital infrastructure to support the next generation of AI and cloud services.
Leave a comment