NDC-GARBE FRA02 Hanau Data Center Frankfurt: Sustainable Cloud & Hyperscale Hub

Status: Fully Operational Hyperscale Cloud Data Center   |   Location: Hanau Industrial Zone (Former Civil Defense Storage Site Brownfield Redevelopment), Hesse, Germany


Project Overview

NDC-GARBE FRA02 Data Center Campus is a next-generation hyperscale data center strategically located in Hanau, within the Frankfurt Metropolitan Region, one of Europe's most important digital infrastructure hubs. Developed through the sustainable redevelopment of a former civil defense storage facility, the campus represents a significant brownfield transformation that minimizes environmental impact while maximizing the value of existing industrial land. The purpose-built, four-story facility spans approximately 10,000 square meters and delivers more than 10 MW of scalable IT capacity designed to support hyperscale cloud computing, artificial intelligence, enterprise workloads, and high-performance digital services. FRA02 is notably associated with Google's first owned and operated cloud data center deployment in Germany, strengthening the company's long-term cloud infrastructure presence in the country while supporting growing demand for secure, low-latency cloud services across Europe. The campus has been engineered using NDC-GARBE's modular design philosophy, enabling flexible expansion, rapid deployment, and high operational efficiency while maintaining industry-leading reliability and resilience. Sustainability is a central focus of the development, with the facility incorporating water-efficient hybrid cooling technologies that significantly reduce water consumption compared to conventional cooling systems, alongside infrastructure designed for future waste heat recovery to support district heating or nearby industrial applications. Powered entirely by renewable electricity, the data center contributes to lower carbon emissions and aligns with Germany's broader sustainability and climate objectives. Advanced physical security systems, resilient power distribution, redundant network connectivity, and energy-efficient building technologies ensure continuous operations for mission-critical digital infrastructure. Positioned within the highly connected Frankfurt ecosystem, FRA02 offers excellent access to major fiber networks, cloud platforms, and enterprise customers, making it a key component of Germany's rapidly expanding hyperscale and cloud data center landscape.


Quick Facts

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Project NameNDC-GARBE FRA02 Hanau Data Center Frankfurt: Sustainable Cloud & Hyperscale Hub
LocationHanau Industrial Zone (Former Civil Defense Storage Site Brownfield Redevelopment), Hesse, Germany
StatusFully Operational Hyperscale Cloud Data Center
CommissioningOperational (Commissioned Q4 2023)
Total IT Load~10.0 MW to 12.0 MW Critical IT Power Capacity Allocation
Total Capacity~10,000 m² (~107,639 sq ft) gross building footprint across a 4-story facility
Tier LevelTier III+ Equivalent Fault-Tolerant Architecture / Brownfield24 Award Winner
Project TypePurpose-Built Single-Tenant / Wholesale Hyperscale Cloud Data Center (Google Cloud Hub)

City Profile

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City NameFrankfurt
Population7,80,000
Urban Agglomeration5.8 million
City GDP€160.8 billion
Per Capita Income$101,000 USD
City TierTier 1
Key StrengthsHosting DE-CIX, the worlds largest Internet Exchange Point; financial capital of the Eurozone; strict sustainability mandates driving innovation.

Companies Involved

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Developer / Operator New Era Energy & Digital
Strategic Infrastructure Partner City of Hanau Municipal Authorities & Main-Kinzig Regional Utility Grid Network
Construction Contractor Specialized European Mission-Critical EPC & Industrial Construction Contractors (GARBE Industrial Real Estate)
MEP Engineering NDC-GARBE Technical Engineering Teams & Specialized German Mission-Critical Engineering Consultants
Network Connectivity Carrier-neutral fiber routing, dual path-diverse subterranean fiber entrance vaults, dedicated Meet-Me-Rooms (MMRs), and direct dark fiber interconnection to DE-CIX Frankfurt (approx. 20 km away) and European core fiber rings.
Power Infrastructure Dual high-voltage grid utility connections, static 2N / N+1 uninterruptible power supply (UPS) modules, automated switchgear, and multi-megawatt standby emergency diesel generator arrays with on-site fuel storage autonomy.

Technical Specifications

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Power Capacity~15.0 MVA Total Utility Power Capacity Allocation
UPS Redundancy2N / N+1 Static UPS Architecture
Cooling System Ultra-efficient modular hybrid cooling combining dry cooling and adiabatic free-cooling (minimizing water usage), hot/cold aisle containment, Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) integration readiness, and automated BMS environmental controls.
Connectivity High-bandwidth optical fiber links connecting Hanau directly to Frankfurt's primary carrier hotels (e.g., Hanauer Landstraße) and broader European cloud availability zones.
PUE Target < 1.20 Annualized Operational Design PUE
Energy Mix 100% Green Renewable Energy supply matched with local clean power procurement; waste heat reuse integration ready.

Milestones

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Announcement 2020
Construction Start 2021
Phase 1 Go-Live Operational (October 2023 Opening Ceremony)
Full Buildout Fully Operational Active Facility

Investment Details

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Total InvestmentEstimated €80,000,000 EUR to €120,000,000 EUR Campus Capital Investment
Funding Joint Venture Development (NDC Data Centers / GARBE Industrial Real Estate)

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