CyrusOne, a leading global data centre developer and operator, has officially broken ground on its newest data centre in Germany (FRA7), strategically located on a 63,000 square metre plot at FRANKFURT WESTSIDE; a 73-hectare commercial and industrial mixed-use regeneration project managed by BEOS AG and Swiss Life Asset Managers.
This latest milestone follows CyrusOne’s initial announcement in September 2023 confirming it had been selected to deliver an 81MW data centre scheme that prioritises sustainability within the development, representing one of the largest waste heat utilisation projects in Europe.
CyrusOne’s strategic partnership with BEOS AG and Swiss Life Asset Managers was subsequently solidified with the official ‘handover protocol’ in April 2024.
The first phase of 9MW of IT capacity is expected to be delivered in Q2 2026.
“Germany is currently a critical growth market for CyrusOne in Europe,” said Carsten Schneider, MD Germany at CyrusOne. “We are investing significantly in the State of Hessen, and this groundbreaking further solidifies our commitment to make a positive impact and contribution to this state and to the German economy more widely. We look forward to continuing our valued partnership with BEOS AG as we work toward our shared objective to build the most sustainable and community-focused development.”
The FRA7 development represents an ultimate investment by CyrusOne anticipated to exceed €1 billion and the project is expected to generate over 500 full-time positions both directly and within its immediate design and construction value chain.
The company is committed to supporting local businesses wherever possible, employing local people and offering training and apprenticeship opportunities.
Working closely with the State of Hesse, the groundbreaking ceremony celebrates CyrusOne’s continued commitment to the German market, with distinguished attendees including Boris Rhein, Prime Minister of the State of Hesse, and Matthias Schmidt, member of the Executive Board of BEOS AG.
“CyrusOne’s commitment to Frankfurt affirms the strategic importance of Hesse as a hub for digital infrastructure in Europe,” said the Prime Minister of Hesse, Boris Rhein. “As one of the leading providers of data centre services, CyrusOne strengthens the attractiveness of the data centre market in the greater Frankfurt metropolitan area and contributes to the economic strength of Hesse. Data centres are an essential requirement for further digitalisation, the application of Artificial Intelligence and to enable Digital Transformation in our country.”
“The collaboration with CyrusOne has served as a model for us from the outset, and we look forward to taking the next steps in this partnership,” said Matthias Schmidt, member of the Executive Board of BEOS AG. “The groundbreaking ceremony is another milestone in the implementation of our shared vision, in which the consistent pursuit of our ESG goals is an important building block.
“The symbiosis of data centre and campus development is now taking shape and will characterize FRANKFURT WESTSIDE,” added Schmidt. “What is being created here is not just a building – it is a symbol of international cooperation, as well as effective coordination with local politics and forward-thinking leadership.”
With sustainability at the heart of the FRANKFURT WESTSIDE project, the campus has already been pre-assessed for DGNB Platinum, and CyrusOne’s highly efficient data centre has been designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ certification as a minimum.
Additional best practices that will be implemented include:
Heat re-use
Provision of waste heat by CyrusOne’s FRA7 data centre is a key aspect of FRANKFURT WESTSIDE, with the facility capable of deploying up to 40MW of waste heat to the campus heating network through innovative methods when the data centre is operating at full capacity.
The process is designed to enable heat from the servers in the data halls to be absorbed into a water system that will be connected via heat exchangers to pipe network infrastructure, built and enabled by BEOS, that will in turn connect to the buildings on the development. Depending on the heat requirement, the temperature of the water will be increased via a solar-powered heat pump within each building. This will enable the local community of users, industrial tenants and employees to benefit from a ‘waste’ product, thus reducing their carbon footprint.
Power
CyrusOne and BEOS have contracted to secure significant power provision in a very competitive market for the entire development, with 150MVA utility power supply at 110kV. It also intends to invest in extensive construction measures to create a new redundant high-voltage grid connection and a dedicated substation serving the data centres and the entire campus.
This unique arrangement is designed to bring greater levels of efficiency in electrical distribution so that each building in the development can maximise the use of renewable-sourced energy and align with the anticipated energy efficiency targets proposed by German legislation. The data centre is also designed to incorporate PV cells on the roof to generate power for the office areas and other ancillary spaces.
Biodiversity and community
CyrusOne and BEOS AG have worked together to breathe new life into the industrial park. The development will promote the efficient use of the existing structures, careful use of resources and provide open space designed for biodiversity, leisure and recreation.
CyrusOne’s dedicated biodiversity initiatives will also be prioritised, with ecological landscaping to increase biodiversity and provide habitats for wildlife, the provision of 5,500 square metres of open green space and the planting of over 60 trees. Over 1,800 square metres of the facility walls and roofs will be ‘green’, not only creating an aesthetically pleasing outlook for the local community but also improving air quality by filtering pollutants, reducing noise and supporting thermoregulation.
