The Schwarz Group's data center in Lübbenau, which is already under construction and is expected to provide up to 100,000 GPUs in the future, could play a key role.

Recent events and statements reflect the fact that the leaders of two of Europe's most important corporations have recognized the need for strategic action. “Without AI, you can forget about industry. Without AI, you can forget about Germany as a business location,” said Telekom CEO Tim Höttges recently at the presentation of Deutsche Telekom's AI data center, which is being planned in cooperation with Nvidia. And Gerd Chrzanowski, general partner of the Schwarz Group, emphasized a few weeks ago at the Schwarz Impulse event: “Where others see risks, we see opportunities and act proactively. Now is not the time to go it alone – we need partnerships and cooperation on an equal footing to reshape Europe's future and role in global transformation.”

Response to the geopolitical situation

Telekom CEO Höttges and Schwarz CEO Chrzanowski are considered the initiators of the “EU AI Gigafactory” project. This is their response to the geopolitical situation, because according to an estimate expressed by Höttges, around 70 percent of the AI chips available worldwide remain in the US, while Europe receives only a small share. However, the planned data centers are to process all data entirely in Germany – and exclusively by European employees.

Sovereign AI infrastructure from Europe

For industry, the latest developments in Central Europe mean one thing above all: AI computing power is becoming a basic commodity like energy or transport infrastructure. Those who do not have it will be structurally left behind in production, automation, and product innovation. The planned AI data factory addresses precisely this deficit and could, for the first time, offer a scalable, sovereign AI infrastructure from Europe – with direct benefits for industrial value creation.

Data protection as an export hit

The Schwarz Group's data center in Lübbenau, which is already under construction, plays a key role in this. An AI data center is being built on the site of a former lignite-fired power plant at a cost of €11 billion. From 2027, it will provide up to 200 megawatts of power and, in the future, up to 100,000 GPUs. For decision-makers, the combination of existing energy connections, green power supply, and political support is an exceptional location factor. At the groundbreaking ceremony, Schwarz Digits co-CEO Christian Müller explained that although the center primarily serves the company's own needs, storage and computing power will also be offered to external customers. The door seems to be open here for industry partners who want to develop or operate AI models in secure European infrastructures. In this context, Müller also praised the data protection regulations in Germany and said in an interview with Bild that these could even become an “export hit”: “The regulations help to protect our fundamental values.”

Unique potential cluster in Europe

The geographical and technological proximity between the Schwarz project in Lübbenau and the potential joint AI factory with Telekom could create a potential cluster that is unique in Europe. When computing power, energy infrastructure, regulatory certainty, and industrial demand come together, large industrial users—particularly in the automotive, mechanical engineering, logistics, chemical, and healthcare industries—have the opportunity to operate AI-based applications locally, in compliance with data protection regulations, and resiliently, without having to rely on US hyperscalers.

From AI user to AI location operator

There are growing signs that Germany is vigorously pursuing its development from an AI user to an AI location. For Europe, this offers the prospect of accelerating its own innovation cycles in order to redefine its role in global value creation. For decision-makers in industry, it is now more important than ever to focus on strategic partnerships, long-term computing capacity reservations, and joint development models at an early stage. With Germany as a potential core location in Europe, the infrastructures currently being created could become the backbone of a new industrial competitiveness.