Data centres are the beating heart of our digital economy. These facilities are marvels of modern engineering and the pace at which they are evolving is nothing short of astounding. In Europe, data centre construction is experiencing astronomical growth, driven by the increasing need for data storage and artificial intelligence capabilities. It’s an exciting time for the industry and fascinating to watch this proliferation.
All that growth equates to demand for data centre construction professionals, from site managers to project engineers and an array of other essential construction jobs. We’ll highlight a few juggernaut projects that are set to ramp up data centre construction jobs to unprecedented levels.
Microsoft – Germany, Ireland
One of the world’s largest tech businesses is going all-in with data centre construction projects in Europe, due to its urgent need for artificial intelligence infrastructure. Microsoft has committed €3.2 billion to double its data capacity for its existing site in Frankfurt and a new project in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Meanwhile, in Ireland, Microsoft is also developing plans for a new campus in County Kildare, southwest of Dublin. Whilst the details of the project’s size aren’t available yet, the company will be in similar company within the region, with the Davy Group and the Liffey Sub-Fund to build four new data centre buildings over a total area of approximately 219,722 km2 within the county.
Google – Finland
Located in Hamina, Finland, one of Google’s largest data centres in Europe is marked for an expansion, with a €1 billion investment announced for the project. Driven by Google’s business focus on AI, the Hamina expansion will involve collaboration with local energy companies to feed excess heat into a network of pipes to warm homes in the local area. Depending on the outcome of the project, Google expects to use Hamina as a sustainable model for future data centre constructions.
Virtus – UK
Virtus Data Centres has planned a state-of-the-art, 100% renewable-powered data centre campus in Saunderton, Buckinghamshire, near the existing data centre hub in Slough, west of London. Covering a 50-acre plot, the construction timeline is expected to end by mid-2026. It will span four data centres overall and will reportedly include its own substation.
NTT – France & Germany
NTT is going all-out in Europe. The IT services business is developing its third data centre campus in Berlin, covering 10.8 hectares and with a planned capacity of 96MW of load, with construction expected to start in 2025. It’s also developing its first campus in Paris on a 14.4-hectare site, running 84MW across three data centres. These builds are part of a global expansion that involves US$10 billion worth of investment.
Global Switch – London
Global Switch is expanding its data centre in Docklands with an extra 27,000 square metres of technical space, growing the campus to 115,000 square metres over five floors and delivering 40MW of power.
The company says its expansion is designed to provide high power density suitable for HPC and AI deployments, with options for both air and liquid cooling available.
Global Switch’s London executive group director, Adam Eaton, says the company is committed to using 100% renewable electricity and has the potential to export heat to the local community.
Skanska – Norway
The town of Telemark in Norway will see a massive new data centre project, with Google-owned WS Computing AS signing on Norwegian builder Skanska to construct a US$96 million facility in 2025. Details are somewhat thin at this stage, but Skanska has revealed new road infrastructure will be built for the project, giving a clue about its size.
Quetta Data Centres – Spain & Portugal
Azora and Core Capital have poured €500 million into the construction of the Quetta Data Centres platform, a network of six data centres across Spain and Portugal. Quetta has already begun construction of the first data centre in Madrid and the entire project is expected to exceed 60 MW, using 100% renewable electricity.
Find Data Centre Construction Jobs with Konstrukt
The growth of the data centre industry in Europe is a testament to the sector’s ability to innovate and adapt. The challenges of increasing power demands, the need for sustainable practices, and the urgency of rapid construction are driving activity in this sector, along with the demand for specialist construction professionals to build them.
If you’re a data centre construction professional ready for a change or are looking to hire a data centre project manager for your next facility build, contact the team at Konstrukt. As Europe’s experts in data centre construction recruitment, we speak your language and know what it takes to see projects succeed. Contact us today to get started.
