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Groundbreaking for the Digital Future in Heidelberg

Data Center Group (DCG) and DCC Data Center Constructions GmbH (DCC) are building a state-of-the-art and green data center for the Heidelberg Innovation Park
News | 04.11.2022

Heidelberg is a renowned location for cutting-edge research, startups and international companies. A hotspot for innovations in the fields of IT, AI, digital and life sciences is being created here: the Heidelberg Innovation Park, or hip for short.

On the almost 15-hectare site of the former Patton Barracks, a place is growing in Heidelberg where ideas will be generated and creative minds will work on solutions and products for the digital future. The fact that a data center is to be built on the site has been part of the basic planning from the very beginning. This is because the demand for high-security IT data center space for companies in Heidelberg and the surrounding area is extremely high. "The new green data center offers an attractive and innovative portfolio for start-ups, SMEs and larger companies. Customers who are themselves in critical facilities, such as government agencies, hospitals and universities, will also benefit from the new, efficient and highly secure digital infrastructure," says Mayor Eckart Würzner.

The data center is planned as an ultra-modern and also ecologically future-oriented building that is intended to make a contribution to the energy turnaround. After all, sustainability also plays a decisive role for the mayor of Heidelberg. "The data center is a pioneer in terms of ecology and energy efficiency," says Würzner, for whom sustainability plays a crucial role.
 

For example, the data center will be powered 100% by electricity from renewable sources. Parts of the facade and roof areas are to be equipped with photovoltaics to supply the administration and office areas themselves, which will reduce the proportion of electricity purchased. Furthermore, a facade greening at the Data Center is planned. This will serve as a natural air conditioning system and absorb CO2. Further emissions will be reduced by intelligent waste heat recovery, modern battery solutions and energy-efficient cooling.

The data center also meets the latest standards in terms of security: Certified according to appropriate criteria, it meets the highest security levels for critical infrastructures (EN 50600 for planning, construction and high-security operation of data centers; according to category VK3, SK1-3 and GN 1-3 / Uptime TIER III).

"The green data center will significantly strengthen the digital infrastructure in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. With our sustainability strategy, we are setting new standards and are pleased to have strong partners at our side in the Data Center Group and a renowned family office," says Christopher Stief, founder and CEO of DCC.

Ralf Siefen, founder and CEO of the Data Center Group adds: "Modern innovative applications in research and development place special demands on the planning of future-oriented data centers. We are delighted about the groundbreaking ceremony and thus the start of a great project for Heidelberg as a location for innovation. We are proud to be able to demonstrate our many years of expertise in the development, planning and construction of efficient, sustainable data centers certified to the latest standards together with our project partner, Data Center Constructions GmbH."
 

The future-oriented and sustainable Green Data Center is to be realized on the hip Campus with a pure data center area totaling 570 square meters and a total connected load of 2.0 MVA. Work started shortly after the contract was awarded in mid-October and the first customers are expected to move into the data center as early as fall 2023, after just 12 months of construction.

On November 3, Mayor Eckart Würzner and the project participants symbolically gave the starting signal for the construction work with a joint groundbreaking ceremony.
 

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