Data Center Rumored for Hofheim in Germany’s Hesse State After Mystery Land Sale

A large data center is rumored to be coming to the town of Hofheim in the state of Hesse, western Germany, following the sale of a 10-hectare (24-acre) plot known as ‘In der Lach’ by property developers Krieger Group to an undisclosed buyer earlier this month. Speculation over the buyer’s identity has been rampant, with local media outlet Frankfurter Neue Presse reporting that the site was sold to Amazon. However, Hofheim’s municipal authorities denied this claim to DCD, and Amazon declined to comment. DCD has also approached Krieger Group for confirmation but has not yet received a response.

The sale came to light during an unscheduled appearance by Hofheim’s mayor, Wilhelm Schultze, before the town’s local council. Schultze confirmed the transaction but stopped short of naming Amazon as the buyer. He did, however, indicate that more details would be revealed in September, when another meeting between himself, representatives of Krieger Group, and the mystery purchaser is scheduled to take place.

The In der Lach site sits alongside the Bundesautobahn 66 motorway just outside Hofheim and is currently used as farmland. In 2025, Krieger Group received municipal permission to redevelop the area into an industrial park. As a result, the site remains subject to local planning regulations, including a maximum building height of 16 meters (52 feet), a constraint confirmed by Schultze during the council meeting. It is still unclear whether the new owner must adhere to the urban development plan previously agreed between Krieger Group and Hofheim’s authorities.

The rumored project underscores Hesse’s position as a major data center market in Germany. According to DataCenters.com, the state is home to 173 facilities, with the majority concentrated around Frankfurt. The region has seen a wave of new developments in recent months, including a 10.6-hectare (26-acre) site announced by AWS in nearby Maintal. That project, part of AWS’s €8.14 billion ($9.44 billion) investment in its Frankfurt region, is expected to create 100 permanent jobs in the town, with the company confirming the plans in May.

Industry analysts note that the Hofheim site’s proximity to the A66 motorway and its location within one of Europe’s most active data center hubs make it a strategically attractive option for a major cloud provider or colocation operator. The pending September meeting is likely to clarify the buyer’s intentions and could signal another significant expansion in the region’s already robust digital infrastructure landscape.