Microsoft plans fourth data center in Rheinisches Revier

The U.S. software giant Microsoft is planning another location for its cloud and AI cluster in the Rhineland region, this time in Grevenbroich. To this end, the tech company has signed a purchase agreement for a site on which the region’s fourth large-scale data center will be built. If all goes according to plan, operations will begin in the early 2030s.

As part of its nationwide expansion of cloud and AI capacities, Microsoft considers NRW to be of strategic importance. The four large data centers in Bedburg, Bergheim, Elsdorf and Grevenbroich will serve companies, research institutions and public institutions in NRW and across Germany for data-intensive applications. Microsoft relies on a sustainable cooling concept that does not involve water evaporation for operations. The water circulates in a closed loop, so virtually no cooling water needs to be replenished after the initial fill.

The expansion of the data center cluster supports the structural changes occurring in the Rhineland mining region. This area is supplementing its industrial and energy sector foundation with digital infrastructure. NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst describes the region’s development as transitioning “from coal to AI.” The Microsoft data centers usher in a “new digital era” for the Rhineland mining region, offering new prospects for innovation, employment, and economic development.