Colt DCS Expands German Data Centre Capacity by 117MW

Aiming to enhance its commitment to digital infrastructure in Germany, Colt Data Centre Services (Colt DCS) has put out its plans to develop four new data centres across Germany. 

The four facilities will be made up of Berlin 1 & 2 and Frankfurt 4 & 5, bringing an additional 117MW to Colt DCS’s German capacity and representing a €2 billion investment in the country. 

This will make the total in-country capacity stand at 176MW. 

Colt DCS’s move will help to meet the rising demand from hyperscalers and enterprises deploying more AI infrastructure and high-performing computing (HPC), while supporting the future of Europe’s digital economy. 

Niclas Sanfridsson, CEO of Colt DCS, states: "The continued growth in digital services has created strong demand for hyperscale data centres in Germany. 

“Our acquisitions in Frankfurt and Berlin are a testament to our commitment to Europe’s largest economy. We are proud to contribute to the growth of the local community and remain a trusted partner for our customers worldwide.

“These new sites will not only enhance our capacity to serve the increasing needs of cloud and AI workloads but also reinforce our dedication to sustainability and innovation in the data centre industry."

The expansion

The two Berlin data centres will offer a total of 54MW of IT capacity and will be constructed on a 9.5-acre site, while the Frankfurt data centres will be built on an 18-acre site and offer 63MW.

By the end of 2028, Colt DCS is focusing first phase ready for service (RFS) on Berlin 1 and Frankfurt 4. The organisation already has renewable power contracts secured. 

All four data centres will follow Colt DCS’s Global Reference Design (GRD). This enables up to 130kW per rack, which is ideal for HPC and AI workloads. 

The organisation is also integrating ESG principles into the heart of the build, such as waste heat recovery to support district heating and low-GWP chillers to minimise embodied carbon. 

20% of each site will be assigned to green space to protect biodiversity. The roofs of the buildings will feature planted vegetation and photovoltaic solar panels.

These measures will mirror Colt DCS’s ambition to set a new benchmark for energy-efficient, low-carbon hyperscale development. 

Strategic importance

Colt DCS’s introduction of four new data centres across Germany is a strategic move in the country’s wider data centre industry.

Not only does the Frankfurt market continue to be one of Europe’s main data centre hubs, but Germany’s digital transformation and demand for AI and cloud services has meant Berlin has become a secondary market. 

By developing sites in both Berlin and Frankfurt, Colt DCS can support multi-site deployments and enhance resilience and service availability for large-scale clients. 

Both locations will offer evolving renewable energy grids for sustainability commitments and extensive access to technical talent pools for maintenance and operations. This means these cities are both operationally efficient for long-term expansion and ideal from an IT perspective.

Colt DCS has secured a strategic dual-hub model, with Berlin for future capacity and regional diversification and Frankfurt for dense interconnection and mature connectivity.

Gert-Uwe Mende, Lord Mayor of Wiesbaden, explains: “Wiesbaden is an attractive business location, and artificial intelligence is an absolutely future-oriented topic.

“I am therefore very pleased that Colt DCS has chosen the Landeshauptstadt (capital of the state of Hessen) as the site for its new data centre”.

What impact will it have on cloud, AI and enterprise growth across Europe?

Colt DCS’s expansion in Germany will ensure the company can support Europe’s growing AI deployment and cloud adoption.

Hyperscalers and enterprises can access high-density compute environments needed for ML and AI workloads through the additional 117MW of new hyperscale capacity.

Enterprises across the country who are expanding their digital capabilities will benefit from enhanced performance, availability and geographic redundancy through Berlin and Frankfurt.

Colt DCS is helping to catalyse the next phase of Europe’s digital economy by crafting sustainable and scalable infrastructure. 

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