Construction has kicked off on a data center in Ulm, Germany, which will be owned and operated by municipal utility company Stadtwerke Ulm/Neu-Ulm (SWU).

The data center development has cost €15 million ($16m) thus far and is expected to house around 150 cabinets across 1,430 sqm (15,390 sq ft). According to current timelines, it will be ready for operations from January 2025.

The facility will be located in the Science Park III business park and will "complement" the existing SWU data center.

According to Klaus Eder, SWU's managing director, the facility will enable the company to expand the "SWU TeleNet's range of services and supplies including hardware and cloud services, as well as mega-fast fiber optic lines to completely new dimensions."

The data center will be a colocation facility, providing for companies and research institutions, and has been designed to meet the climate-neutral requirements for data centers by 2027 from the Federal Environment Ministry.

The data center will be powered by green electricity from SWU's hydroelectric plants and on-site solar panels, while the cooling systems will use the naturally cool air outside and will make its waste heat ready for use elsewhere.

“Secure IT infrastructures will be available in the new data center, with which we will lay a stable and innovative basis for the progressive digitalization of all areas of life and work,” said Mayor Gunter Czisch at the ground-breaking ceremony.

The Science Park III is located nearby to the University of Ulm, various research institutions and technology companies, and the Campus for Artificial Intelligence which is currently under construction.

SWU is a conglomerate of companies providing electricity, gas, water, heat, and telecommunications services in the cities of Ulm and Neu Ulm in Germany.

According to Data Center Journal, SWU's existing data center is located in Stuttgart and offers 617 sqm (6,652 sq ft) of data center space.