Germany’s Bavarian State Tax Office is set to get a new data center.

Announced by the Bayerisches Staatsministerium der Finanzen und für Heimat (State Ministry for Finance and Home Affairs) on September 26, construction has begun on the new data center, which is described as a “high-security” facility.

The data center is a modular build and is being developed by Noris Network AG. It will be located in Nuremberg.

Germany’s Minister of Finance and Home Affairs, Albert Füracker, said during the groundbreaking ceremony: “The project demonstrates once again how strong cooperation between public administration and the domestic economy can generate innovative solutions. The new data center space forms a further foundation for the highly available IT infrastructure for our more than 33,000 employees in the tax offices and the judiciary, as well as our ELSTER platform with 22 million users nationwide.

“Security is a top priority, especially for tax data: It goes without saying that the highest security standards are therefore implemented. At the same time, Noris achieves exemplary energy efficiency and sustainability.”

The data center will comprise 36 modules, which, if placed end-to-end, would extend half a kilometer. This would make the modules each up to 13m long. The data center is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Paul König, president of the Bavarian State Tax Office, added: “The Bavarian State Tax Office is looking forward to the partnership with Noris Network AG with great anticipation and is looking forward to the future home of the North Data Center. The infrastructure provided for modern, future-proof, and sustainable data center operations is tailored to our needs and ensures the long-term provision of IT services for tax offices, the judiciary, and taxpayers.”

The general contractor for the project is Max Bögl, who will build the infrastructure buildings for delivery, access, and security, while the IT rooms are being pre-assembled in Noris facilities in Slovakia and will be transported to Nuremberg via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal at the start of 2026.

Since 2007, the Bavarian State Tax Office has operated out of two data centers: one in Nuremberg, and a second located near Munich. According to the announcement from the State Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs, the existing data centers were no longer sufficient as “advancing digitalization” required “more powerful infrastructure.”

Noris was founded in 1993 and claims to be the first Internet service provider in northern Bavaria.

According to Noris Network’s website, the company has seven data centers in Germany, located in Nuremberg, Munich, Hof, and Ingolstadt. A Frankfurt data center is currently under construction. The company also offers a variety of “modular” builds, from “micro data centers,” to “modular container data centers,” to “large high-performance data centers.”

Details of the data center modules set to be delivered to the tax office have not been shared.