German startup Polarise intends to create a new 30-megawatt AI data center, which would double Germany's domestic computing capacity as European countries strive for greater control over essential tech infrastructure.
The company informed that the facility, scheduled to begin operations in the Bavarian town of Amberg in mid-2027, might later grow to 120 MW.
According to data from the German lobby group Bitkom, AI data centres in Germany had a total capacity of 530 MW by the end of last year. A significant portion of that, however, was managed by providers that were not German.
European nations are advocating for increased sovereign control over data and the infrastructure needed for AI, driven by global tensions ranging from tariffs to military conflicts, along with significantly differing regulations regarding online content.
The proposals for what would become one of Germany's biggest data centers have not been disclosed before. Major tech firms such as Google and Amazon's AWS usually operate data centers that have a capacity of approximately 100 MW or greater.
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Polarise, managing 13 data centres both in Germany and internationally, chose not to disclose specifics regarding the necessary investment amount.
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"The ultimate investment size is largely influenced by the number of clients who either set up their own servers or lease computing resources," stated Marc Gazivoda, marketing director at Polarise, noting that it has not received government funding and that investments may fluctuate.
A source affiliated with the company stated that the initial phase of the project would have expenses in the "triple-digit million euro range," covering the primary infrastructure but excluding the chips. The total expense would vary based on the quantity of chips needed and their particular kinds.
Polarise recently launched a 12-MW data centre in Munich that, as per a Deutsche Telekom estimate, cost 1 billion euros ($1.16 billion). That facility has already increased Germany's current locally-managed capacity twofold.
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As oil prices climb past $100 a barrel, the energy costs for power-intensive data centres are becoming a greater concern.