Major European data center operator makes billion-euro investment in Hanau
French data center operator DATA4 plans to invest more than EUR 1 billion in Hanau over the next few years. The company will build, own and operate a large-scale data center that employs around 500 people and uses 100% green power.
DATA4, a major European operator and investor in the data center market, will build a new, large-scale data center covering more than 20 hectares on the site of the former US barracks in the Großauheim district in Hanau. The site represents the company’s first investment in Germany and will become its German headquarters. Hanau is 25 kilometers east of Frankfurt am Main and part of the FrankfurtRheinMain Metropolitan Region.
The investment will amount to more than EUR 1 billion and create about 500 jobs. DATA4 will recruit people from the region, similar to its approach in other countries, and plans to cooperate with schools and universities to find and develop young talent. The data center will require telecommunications and IT professionals, electrical engineers, and other technical specialists.
In addition to its regional focus, DATA4 also places high importance on sustainability. The company has a clear strategy for minimizing its environmental footprint and plans to run the data center campus in Hanau on 100% green energy. For example, the construction will use concrete produced with low carbon emissions, and 75% of the old barracks buildings will be recycled and reused on site. Furthermore, DATA4 plans to install a heat recovery system to harvest the data center’s waste heat for use by the city of Hanau. A ten-hectare, open-space photovoltaic plant will be built nearby to supply the estimated 180 megawatts required to operate the facility.
The first campus module is scheduled to go into operation in 2024 or 2025, with full project completion by 2032.