Sites & Land
Data Centres & Digital Infrastructure
Identification, due diligence and securing of data centre sites in Austria and CEE – a focus since 2019, including the site acquisition for Microsoft in Vösendorf. For hyperscalers, colocation operators and investors, as well as for landowners and municipalities offering land.
Scope of services
From site selection to securing the site.
For operators, the scarce resource is not land but secured electrical capacity. The plot accounts for only a small share of the total investment; economic viability is determined by the point at which power is actually available (time-to-power) and by how far the site can grow. Land is therefore first assessed for grid capacity, expansion path and permit eligibility.
Landowners and municipalities find out whether their land is suitable for data centres, which prerequisites are missing and how it can be marketed.
Site selection
Assessment of potential sites by energy, scalability, connectivity, land, cooling and risks – with a shortlist and a decision paper.
Land with secured power supply (powered land)
Plots with confirmed grid capacity and timeline – the factor that determines the value of a data centre site.
Grid connection
Capacities, voltage level, expansion stages and timelines – coordinated with transmission and distribution system operators.
Due diligence, acquisition & permitting
Review zoning, buildability, natural hazards and environmental requirements, negotiate with owners, involve the municipality and authorities early.
Site criteria
What makes a data centre site.
Ultimately, operators assess a site by one question: how quickly, how reliably and how far can capacity be brought into operation? Power is the prerequisite – six criteria together decide on the site.
of the total cost of a greenfield development is attributable to the land. The largest single item, at an average of 21%, is the power infrastructure.
Industry study 2026, USA/Canadaper rack is expected on average in large hyperscale data centres by 2027, up from 36 kW in 2024. This changes cooling and grid capacity requirements.
Industry forecast 2024of grid access requests from data centres have been submitted to Austrian Power Grid; around 550 MW have been firmly committed.
APG to Tips and Salzburger Nachrichten, 2026the EU Energy Efficiency Directive requires the use of waste heat, where technically and economically feasible.
Directive (EU) 2023/17911Energy & grid connection
What matters is not proximity to a power line but committed capacity: how many megawatts will the grid operator provide, when, and at which voltage level?
- Reserved grid capacity with timeline
- Two independent feeds
- Access to renewable power via purchase agreements
2Scalability
A campus grows in phases over ten years or more. Land, zoning and grid must support the final build-out, not just the first hall.
- Expansion path with secured capacity for each phase
- Expansion land secured from the outset
- Example Google Kronstorf: 150 MW in phase 1, expansion to up to 500 MW applied for
3Connectivity
At least two physically separate fibre routes to several network operators are required, along with short distances to internet exchanges and partner sites.
- Dark fibre, multiple carriers
- Latency to Vienna, Frankfurt and Central Eastern Europe
- Separate building entries
4Land & permitting
Level, contiguous plots with suitable zoning, load-bearing soil and access for heavy transport are required – large transformers weigh well over 100 tonnes.
- Commercial or industrial zoning
- Height, noise and distance requirements
- Predictable permitting path; EIA thresholds are under political discussion
5Cooling, water & waste heat
As rack density increases, liquid cooling is becoming established. Cooling concept, water demand and waste heat use are part of the permit – and of the reporting obligation from 500 kW of IT capacity.
- Cooling concept and water consumption
- Waste heat for district or local heating
- Key figures PUE, WUE and ERF
6Resilience & risks
Operators contractually guarantee availability to their customers. Natural hazards, surrounding risks and redundancy therefore count from the choice of plot onwards.
- Flooding, landslides, earthquakes – according to the hazard zone plan
- Distance to Seveso sites, airports and railway lines
- Emergency power and on-site fuel storage
Every plot is assessed against these six criteria before it is secured.
Planning a data centre in Austria or CEE?
A focus since 2019, site acquisition for Microsoft: we review your requirements for capacity, land and timeline.