The Paris-based company is in talks with existing lenders and Greek banks to fund the majority of the project with new debt, Chief Executive Officer Olivier Micheli said in an interview with Bloomberg. The new campus will be in Paiania, near Athens.The investment of more than €300 million is part of the €7 billion expansion investment program in Europe until 2030, the ultimate goal of which is to make Data4 a leading provider of data centers in the region.
Data4 already has a presence in France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany.
“We are excited to expand our presence in Greece, a country that offers strategic advantages in terms of location, connectivity and economic dynamism. This investment will not only support our growth ambitions, but will significantly contribute to the local economy and the digital ecosystem of Greece. Data centers support the development of cloud and AI services, as they are the treasury of data management for companies and public administration and are essential for the operation of efficient and sustainable digital services for Greek citizens," said Olivier Micheli, president and CEO of Data4.
The new campus will be located in an industrial zone, ensuring proximity to important energy resources. ATH1 will be built on a 75-acre plot in Paiana and will be powered by up to 90 MW of power.
To ensure such sustainable digital growth, Data4 aims to achieve BREEAM certification with an “Excellent” rating for its data centers in Greece. This certification covers key criteria such as energy efficiency, water management, sustainable materials such as low-carbon concrete, and biodiversity conservation. By meeting these strict standards, Data4 will be among the first in Europe and the first in Greece to have data centers certified with BREEAM, setting a new benchmark for sustainability in the industry.
In addition, Data4 has introduced innovations across its campuses in Europe aimed at reducing the environmental footprint, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) models to improve energy efficiency and extend the life of equipment through predictive maintenance . Artificial intelligence (AI) is used to enhance the resilience and scalability of the company's data centers, making them better equipped to cope with the increasing demands of artificial intelligence (AI).
Greek law firm Zepos & Giannopoulos, along with engineering firms Cap Ingelec and Blue Sun, played a key role in guiding the legal and technical aspects of the construction of the new data center campus. Knight Frank helped secure the transaction, as did Hill International, which assisted Data4 with advice and with the licensing process.
It should be noted that the Greek market shows particular dynamics in this sector as investments are underway in more than ten submarine cables that interconnect critical internal and cross-border connectivity nodes between Europe, Africa and Asia.
