A data center development has been proposed at the Krofdorf-Gleiberger Augarten in Wettenberg, Germany.

Sommerlad, a furniture and interior design company, together with Data Center Group GmbH, is seeking to develop a data center on the property next to its central warehouse in the municipality, reports Geissener Anzeiger and Giessener Allgemeine.

Details about the project are relatively sparse. It was discussed during the February 13 Wettenberg municipal council meeting.

The data center would also include an office building, battery storage, and photovoltaic systems which would be developed on around 30,000 sqm (322,917 sq ft) of land that is currently undeveloped and sits between the Sommerlad warehouse and a hotel/restaurant. Sommerlad has yet to purchase the plot of land, which is currently owned by the municipality.

Waste heat from the data center will be made available to heat buildings in the local community.

Some concerns raised about the project included that the rainwater retention basin currently on the site would be removed as a result of the development, and that the battery storage facility would be built nearby to a nature reserve.

However, the project was generally met with approval due to its proximity to a substation, the city of Frankfurt, and the nearby university town of Giessen. It is hoped that the data center will encourage more companies to settle in the area, and help bring jobs to the community.

Working with Sommerlad is Data Center Group GmbH, a company based in Wallmenroth, Germany. Data Center Group offers consulting, planning, and construction services for companies looking to establish or expand their data centers. The company worked on the Nexspace data center in Heidelberg Innovation Park which was launched in November 2023.

The project is set to be further discussed at the next meeting of the Committee for Infrastructure, Construction, Planning and Transport.

Wettenberg lies just outside of Giessen and around 77km north of Frankfurt, Germany’s largest data center hub. Operators in the area include the likes of CyrusOne, Iron Mountain, Global Switch, Equinix, NTT, and Vantage Data Centers.