Schwarz Digits to build 11 billion euro AI data center in Brandenburg

Schwarz Digits, a subsidiary of the Schwarz Group (owner of Lidl and Kaufland), is investing 11 billion euros to convert a former power plant in Lübbenau, Brandenburg, into one of Europe’s largest artificial intelligence data centers.

The facility will house approximately 100,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) to facilitate rapid AI model training. The project is expected to provide an economic transition for the Lusatia region following the decline of the coal industry. Construction is proceeding rapidly, with a new building planned every three months and the first server rooms scheduled to go online by the end of 2027.

In addition to serving external clients like the Baden-Württemberg Police, the 13-hectare site will store sensitive internal data for the Schwarz Group, including payment and ordering information. Rolf Schumann, one of the managing directors of Schwarz Digits, stated that the infrastructure is designed to provide secure, independent data control for companies and citizens. To address environmental concerns common to large-scale data centers, the Lübbenau complex is designed with a climate-friendly cooling system that minimizes water consumption.