Schwarz Digits is building one of Europe's most modern data centres in Brandenburg

It's a crisp November morning in Lübbenau, Brandenburg, where loads of guests from politics, business, and the digital industry have come together for the groundbreaking ceremony. The groundbreaking for the new Schwarz Digits data centre not only marks the start of construction, but also the kick-off for one of the most ambitious digital projects in Germany.

With an investment volume of 11 billion euros, one of the largest and most modern data centres in Europe is being built on the site of the former Lübbenau coal-fired power plant. For Schwarz Digits, the digital division of the Schwarz Group, it is the largest single investment in the company's history – and for Germany, it is a signal that the location is ready to play a role in large-scale projects for AI and cloud computing.

Power for AI, cloud computing and digital administration

Digitalisation in the public sector, in companies and in research requires enormous computing capacity. At the same time, the demands on security, compliance and energy efficiency are increasing. The Schwarz Digits Datacenter is setting new standards in this area.

With a connected load of 200 megawatts, an infrastructure is being created in Lübbenau that will provide the basis for up to 100,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) – a prerequisite for training complex AI models and for large-scale AI derivations.

Dr Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital and Public Service, emphasises the importance of the project: ‘Germany needs computing power if we want to play in the premier league of artificial intelligence. This project shows that we have the skills and expertise to advance Germany's digital sovereignty.’

This plays a central role for the public sector: powerful, secure data centres are the basis for modern administrative services, smart city applications, security solutions and data-intensive specialist procedures.

STACKIT, the open-source-based cloud platform from Schwarz Digits, is getting its fifth location in Lübbenau. The company is thus purposefully building a sovereign European cloud that is relevant for public authorities and critical infrastructure.

Christian Müller, Co-CEO of Schwarz Digits, sums it up: ‘Critical infrastructure in particular must be even better protected against unauthorised access in the future. To achieve this, we need to invest heavily in state-of-the-art, scalable data centres.’

Digital sovereignty and resilience made in Germany

The project has a clear guiding principle: greater independence, greater security and greater control over your own data.

Schwarz Digits combines cloud services, AI applications, cyber security and secure communication in Lübbenau to create a comprehensive package that is crucial for both businesses and public authorities.

Rolf Schumann, Co-CEO of Schwarz Digits, emphasises the strategic dimension: ‘Lübbenau is a central anchor point for Europe's digital sovereignty in practice. Here, an independent and secure infrastructure is being created that enables companies and citizens to shape our digital future in a self-determined manner.’

At a time when international conflicts and digital attacks are on the rise, this approach is becoming increasingly important – also for local and state authorities. Today, they work with significantly more digital applications, AI-supported decisions and sensitive data, and therefore need a particularly secure and reliable infrastructure.

Sustainability as a fundamental principle – not just an add-on

The company is also taking a unique approach to environmental issues. Instead of building on undeveloped land, the former power plant site in Lübbenau is being reused. The 13-hectare site has been extensively dismantled for this purpose, with over 20,000 m³ of concrete, 110 tonnes of steel and other materials being recycled and reused.

The data centre is powered entirely by green electricity during normal operation and uses state-of-the-art energy-efficient technologies:

• Direct liquid cooling with free cooling

• PV panels that generate around 520,000 kWh of energy annually

• Waste heat utilisation from 2028 for the district heating network in Lübbenau and the surrounding area

Schwarz Digits thus combines digital infrastructure with regional value creation and a sustainable energy future – a model that can serve as an example for building digital capacities in municipalities and urban areas.

Lübbenau as a signal for Europe

The data centre can be expanded in a modular fashion, meaning that capacity can grow flexibly in line with demand. It already meets the requirements of the EU's planned AI Gigafactories – large European sites for AI development that are intended to compete globally. Lübbenau is one of these important locations, right here in Germany. The project shows that digitalisation and innovation are possible here if they are planned for the long term, are scalable and bold.

A success story that began at the Smart Country Convention

Schwarz Digits was founded just a few weeks before the Smart Country Convention 2023 and presented itself as a new company for the first time at that event. Since then, Schwarz Digits has been represented at SCCON every year and is growing steadily. What started two years ago as a young tech company is now a key player in cloud, AI and digital sovereignty in Europe. Schwarz Digits will also participate in the Smart Country Convention as a premium partner in 2026.