Germany: Lidl owner invests 11 billion in its own data center
- DRC Discount Retail Consulting GmbH
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Discount Retail Chain Lidl's owner, Schwarz, through its IT and digital division, Digits, this week took the first step towards a billionaire investment to build its own data center. According to the announcement, the company will invest 11 billion euros to build a state-of-the-art infrastructure in Lubbenau, in Bradenburg. This will be one of the most advanced centres of its kind in Europe.
The first phase of the "Schwarz Digits Data Center", consisting of three modules, is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, as part of the company's strategy to strengthen its digital infrastructure in Germany and Europe.
The data center will run exclusively on green energy during its normal operation, occupying 13 hectares of the former Lübbenau factory site, which has been demolished and the area rewilded.
According to the announcement, the project will follow a strategy of revitalization of degraded areas (i.e., the rehabilitation or requalification of existing land or infrastructure) and involved the separation and recycling of more than 20,000 cubic meters of concrete and stone, 110 tons of steel and 20 tons of wood.
The facility will also feature photovoltaic panels that will generate up to 520,000 kWh of renewable energy annually.
In the political sphere, the German Minister for Digitalization and State Modernization, Karsten Wildberger, emphasized during the inauguration ceremony that "Germany needs processing power if it wants to compete at a high level in AI. Only with powerful data centers can we use AI applications on a large scale and strengthen our competitiveness. I am pleased that with Schwarz Digits, a German company is investing in its own country."
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