Compass Datacenters and Hines have announced plans to build a large-scale data centre in the Milan metro area.
The planned 2.3 million sqft site, to be located in Noviglio, will aim to provide over 48MW of IT load. Construction is set to begin in 2023.
This marks Compass Datacenters’ first foray into the European market, and according to a statement, is anticipated to be the first data centre project to be delivered by Hines in Europe.
“Building our first European campus in Milan is a major step in Compass’ global expansion strategy. It’s geographic location, undersea cable connectivity, robust fibre availability and affordable power makes it an ideal location for hyperscalers,” said AJ Byers, President and Chief Development Officer at Compass Datacenters. “Hines’ vision for Italy align with our own, and our combined resources should accelerate the timeline for customer availability.”
Mario Abbadessa, Senior Managing Director and Country Head, Italy, at Hines, added, “This first investment into the Italian and European data centre market establishes a new area of development for Hines, representing significant opportunities in a high-growth sector.
“The Italian data centre market is becoming a leading destination for cloud providers with growing capacity requirements commonly referred to as hyperscalers, with $2.6 billion projected to be invested by 2026.
“Milan’s high level of network connectivity and the region’s multiple submarine cable termination points were key elements in both companies’ mutual identification of the Novigilio site as an ideal data center campus location in Milan’s supply-constrained market.”
Byer and said, “Sustainability is a hallmark of the approach that Compass and Hines use. Our sustainable construction methodologies include the use of materials produced using GHG reduction technology, the use of renewable fuel generators, and low-waste construction methodologies.
“When customers work with us, they have the assurance that their digital infrastructure will exceed regulatory requirements while also supporting corporate sustainability strategies.”
