University of Stuttgart Breaks Ground on €178.6 Million Supercomputing Data Center
December 18, 2025
In a significant move to bolster Europe's scientific and technological sovereignty, the University of Stuttgart has commenced construction on a major new data center dedicated to housing next-generation supercomputers. The facility underscores the intensifying global race for computational supremacy, which is critical for advancements in artificial intelligence, climate modeling, and materials science.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the HLRS III data center was held this week. The 7,000-square-meter (75,347 sq ft) building will be part of the university's High-Performance Computing Center (HLRS), one of three national supercomputing hubs within Germany's Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS). The state of Baden-Württemberg is providing €138.5 million ($162.73m) for the construction, with the German federal government contributing an additional €40.1 million ($47.11m) for structural and technical infrastructure, bringing the total project investment to €178.6 million ($209.84m).
The center is designed to host two powerful systems: a flagship supercomputer codenamed "Herder," expected to deliver performance of several hundred petaflops upon its installation in 2027, and an AI-optimized system developed under the "HammerHAI" project. This represents a substantial leap from the university's current "Hunter" system, which became operational in early 2025 with a peak performance of 48.1 petaflops.
Speaking at the event, Baden-Württemberg's Science Minister Petra Olschowski emphasized the strategic importance of the investment. “With the laying of the foundation stone today, we are sending a clear signal: Baden-Württemberg is leading the way in supercomputing,” she stated. “The HLRS III building will significantly strengthen our cutting-edge research... We are consciously investing here at the highest level in technological sovereignty because we want to shape the future of Baden-Württemberg ourselves and not leave it to others.”
The project also incorporates sustainability features, including photovoltaic systems on the roof and facade to contribute to the site's power needs. Furthermore, waste heat generated by the supercomputers will be captured and fed into the university campus's district heating network.
The completion of HLRS III is poised to solidify Germany's position in the European high-performance computing landscape, providing domestic researchers with sovereign access to world-class computational resources. It directly supports national and EU strategies aimed at reducing dependency on external technology providers and fostering innovation in key fields like AI and simulation.
Source: datacenterdynamics
University of Stuttgart Breaks Ground on €178.6 Million Supercomputing Data Center
