Rai Way Secures Approval for €400 Million Hyperscale Data Center Campus Near Rome
March 27, 2026
In a significant move for Italy's digital infrastructure landscape, Rai Way, the broadcasting infrastructure subsidiary of state-owned media company Rai, has received full planning permission for a major new hyperscale data center campus south of Rome. The approval marks a concrete step in Italy's pursuit of greater digital sovereignty and underscores the strategic importance of the Rome region as a central hub for data and connectivity in the Mediterranean.
The company announced it will invest €400 million (approximately $461 million) to develop the campus in Pomezia. The project will span a vast area of 1.5 million square feet (140,000 square meters) and will feature four independent buildings. Within these structures, a total of 172,000 square feet (16,000 square meters) will be dedicated to data halls. Each building will be subdivided into four halls of 10,700 square feet (1,000 square meters), with a power capacity of 8.8MW per building, leading to a total initial IT capacity of 35.2MW for the entire campus, with provisions for future expansion.
The architecture is designed to be highly flexible to cater to the specific needs of hyperscale and cloud customers, offering customizable density, layout, and cooling systems. While awaiting final authorization for an on-site 5.5MW photovoltaic plant, Rai Way confirmed the campus will ultimately be fully powered by renewable energy. The location in the Rome metropolitan area was chosen for its strategic value, offering proximity to key Mediterranean submarine cable landing stations.
Italian Minister for Enterprises Adolfo Urso emphasized the national significance of the project, stating, “In an era in which data management has become an issue affecting both cultural identity and national security, the hyperscale project marks a concrete step forward on the path toward the country’s full digital sovereignty. This data center will ensure that Rai’s heritage – a heritage belonging to all Italians – is safeguarded within a secure, resilient infrastructure rooted in the national territory.”
Giampaolo Rossi, CEO of Rai, described the development as “an important milestone for Rai Way and for the entire Rai Group,” aligning with the broadcaster's transformation into a modern digital media company. He highlighted its strategic value for innovation, digital transition, and broader regional economic development.
This hyperscale project is part of Rai's broader €140 million ($151.6 million) data center investment plan, which includes deploying a network of 18 Edge data centers across Italy with a combined IT capacity of 3.4MW, alongside other facilities in Milan and Rome. The initiative represents a key diversification strategy for the traditional broadcaster as it expands its footprint in digital infrastructure.
Source: datacenterdynamics
