Groundbreaking ceremony in Lübbenau: Schwarz Digits invests 11 billion euros in Europe's digital sovereignty

• By the end of 2027, a state-of-the-art data center will be built on the 13-hectare site of the former Lübbenau power plant, which will run entirely on green electricity during regular operation.
• The data center will initially have a connected load of 200 megawatts, setting new standards for digital infrastructure in Germany.
• From 2028, the server waste heat will be fed into the city's district heating network. The data center thus contributes not only to the region's digital infrastructure, but also to its ecological infrastructure.

Neckarsulm/Lübbenau, November 17, 2025 - Schwarz Digits, the IT and digital division of the Schwarz Group, is building one of the most modern data centers in Europe in Lübbenau in the Spreewald. With a total investment volume of 11 billion euros, this is the largest single investment in the company's history. The first construction phase of the 'Schwarz Digits Datacenter' with three modules will be completed by the end of 2027 and is a central milestone on the way to an independent, secure and powerful digital infrastructure in Germany and Europe. A particular focus of the construction project is on sustainable property development. The data center will also run entirely on green electricity during regular operation.

Data center of superlatives

Digitization generates enormous amounts of data. This data must be processed securely and confidently in accordance with German and European legal standards. Schwarz Digits is therefore deliberately investing in its own data center infrastructure in Germany. STACKIT, the company's cloud provider, will operate its fifth data center in Lübbenau in the future. The new location combines digital transformation, technological sovereignty and regional responsibility, while also bringing Schwarz Digits closer to its goal of establishing itself as the first European hyperscaler.

Dr. Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernization: "Germany needs computing power if we want to play in the premier league of artificial intelligence. Only with powerful data centers can we use AI applications on a large scale and strengthen our competitiveness. I am delighted that Schwarz Digits, a German company, is investing in its home location. This project shows: We have the skills and expertise to advance Germany's digital sovereignty. Today is a good start to a week in which we are focusing on strengthening our own technological capabilities and our independence."

The data center is planned with an initial connected load of around 200 megawatts and can be expanded modularly in two construction phases. This means that up to 100,000 GPUs can be installed in the data center in the future. Among other things, these will be used to train large models with AI inference - thus making accurate predictions based on the data fed in. 

These dimensions in Lübbenau show that Germany also has excellent conditions and concrete examples for the AI Gigafactories tendered by the EU Commission.

Strengthening Europe's resilience

One of the most modern locations for digital infrastructure and cloud services will be built in Brandenburg by the end of 2027. The data center will form the basis for an independent, secure and powerful cloud infrastructure in Germany. With STACKIT, its own open-source-based cloud, the XM Cyber brand for cybersecurity and partnerships with Aleph Alpha in the fields of AI and data or secure communication with Wire, Schwarz Digits is strengthening the digital resilience of both the public and private sectors.

"The increase in hybrid threats in recent years and one-sided digital dependencies are serious challenges for companies across Europe. Critical infrastructure in particular must therefore be protected even better against unauthorized third-party access in the future," says Christian Müller, Co-CEO of Schwarz Digits. "It is therefore essential for us to invest heavily in state-of-the-art and scalable data centers."

"For us, Lübbenau is more than just a data center location; it is a central anchor point for Europe's digital sovereignty. This is where we are creating the independent and secure infrastructure that enables companies and citizens to retain control over their data and shape our digital future in a self-determined way," emphasizes Rolf Schumann, Co-CEO Schwarz Digits.

Sustainable development and regional responsibility

The project focuses on brownfield development instead of greenfield construction. To this end, the 13-hectare site of the former Lübbenau power plant was extensively dismantled and renaturalized. Over 20,000 cubic meters of concrete and stone, 110 tons of steel and 20 tons of wood were separated, recycled and reused as resources.

The project thus follows the Schwarz Group companies' holistic 'REset Resources' recycling strategy. This aims to conserve resources, reduce waste and return recyclable materials to their cycle. In addition to the targeted return of materials and raw materials to the company's own economic cycle, state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly processes are used in data center operations. Among other things, PV panels are installed on the campus, which generate up to 520,000 kWh of renewable energy per year.

In addition, the installed servers are equipped with innovative 'Direct Liquid Cooling'. This involves free cooling via the ambient air and the release of high-quality waste heat at up to 50°C. The latter is fed directly into the district heating network of the regional energy supplier Süll and distributed to district heating customers in Lübbenau and the surrounding area.

Further information can be found at https://schwarz-digits.de/schwarz-digits-datacenter-luebbenau