Avacon and enviaM Group Inaugurate €40 Million Data Center in Lower Saxony
March 6, 2026
A new data center has commenced operations in Sehnde, Lower Saxony, marking a significant investment in the digital infrastructure of northwestern Germany. The facility, a joint venture between network solutions provider Avacon Connect and energy service company enviaM Group, represents a strategic push to bolster regional data sovereignty and cater to the growing digital demands of critical industries.
The inauguration of the €40 million ($46 million) facility, originally announced in 2023, provides a substantial boost to a local market that has historically been underserved. According to data from Baxtel, the Hanover region ranks only 11th nationally for data center capacity, hosting just four small facilities prior to this launch. The new site spans 2,000 square feet (185 square meters) and is engineered to house up to 28,000 servers, significantly expanding local computing power and digital resilience.
In a statement, Rainer Schmittdiel, CTO of Avacon Group, emphasized the project's regional importance: “With the data center in Sehnde, we are specifically strengthening the digital infrastructure in the Hanover region. As a network operator, we bring the necessary expertise for secure and highly available operation – from energy supply and network connectivity to comprehensive security concepts.” The center is designed to support digital services across the energy, healthcare, finance, transport, and insurance sectors.
The facility incorporates several notable technical and sustainability features. It draws primary power from a nearby solar plant operated by Avacon, with waste heat channeled into a local district heating network. To ensure operational continuity, the site is backed by diesel generators capable of providing up to 72 hours of uninterrupted power. It also boasts four distinct physical protection zones and a high-speed 100Gbps fiber-optic connection maintaining latency below ten milliseconds.
The opening was welcomed by regional officials who highlighted the economic imperative of such infrastructure. Lower Saxony’s Minister of Economy, Grant Hendrick Tonne, stated at the ceremony: “I am delighted by the commitment of Avacon and the enviaM Group. High-performance and secure data centers are a fundamental prerequisite for economic development and digital value creation today. They create reliable infrastructure and strengthen data sovereignty.” The project underscores a broader trend of strategic data center development outside of Germany's major hubs, aiming to distribute digital assets and enhance regional competitiveness.
Source: datacenterdynamics
