From Energy Consumer to Energy Partner: Rethinking Data Centers

How digital infrastructure actively shapes and stabilizes the energy grid of the future.

The demand for data center services is growing massively – in the German colocation market alone, a doubling of the installed IT capacity to around 3.3 gigawatts (GW) by the end of 2029 is forecast. As network bottlenecks and long lead times slow down expansion, data centers are transforming from pure consumers to active energy partners through waste heat utilization and flexible load management. This systemic approach is essential to secure Europe’s digital sovereignty despite tight energy markets.

A turning point: AI and the energy hunger of infrastructure

The digital transformation of the global economy is progressing at an unprecedented pace. At its center is Artificial Intelligence, the spread of which is causing the energy demand to rise significantly. In Europe alone, it is predicted that an additional demand of over 1 GW per year will be created in the coming years to boost the digital economy.
However, this boom is hitting physical limits: In core markets such as Frankfurt am Main, which already has an IT load of 1,020 megawatts (MW), the vacancy rate is drastically decreasing. It currently stands at just 4.8 percent and could fall to a record low of 3.4 percent by the end of the year. The mere growth through more complex models can therefore no longer be compensated solely by internal efficiency improvements, especially since global power supply bottlenecks are extending the schedules for new buildings partly into 2027 and beyond.

From silo thinking to systemic integration

A radical rethinking is necessary: away from the isolated consumer, towards the systemic actor. The challenge is immense, because grid connection requests can, according to a study by the International Energy Agency (IEA), currently involve waiting times of up to seven years. The solution lies in the role of the data center as an “energy orchestrator”.
Data centers must make their waste heat usable as a valuable resource for urban heat supply and synchronize load peaks with the availability of renewable energies. Technologies for island operation or the use of local power generation are becoming increasingly important in order to reduce dependence on overloaded public grids and at the same time act as a stabilizing factor in the energy system.

Social added value and location factors

Growth and sustainability must not be a contradiction. Although the energy demand per calculation at the chip level has been reduced by approximately 23 percent annually since 2013, the absolute energy hunger continues to grow. For a holistic view, this consumption must be seen in relation to the enormous savings potential through AI in other sectors.
At the same time, the choice of location is becoming strategically decisive. While markets like Frankfurt are growing, locations like Berlin are also gaining in importance, which currently has an IT load of 152 MW and a projected growth rate of over 25 percent. Transparency towards the public, for example through the visible feed-in of heat into district heating networks, is essential to create acceptance.

Technology in practice: Design for the future

Future-proof data centers consistently rely on energy-efficient design and AI-optimized cooling. This is urgently necessary, as the industry’s average PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) value has stagnated at around 1.58 since 2020.
In order to break through this efficiency limit, there is hardly any way around new technologies such as Liquid Cooling – especially since AI racks will soon be able to reach power densities of over 150 kW. An example of this new generation are concepts that combine high-density racks with powerful liquid cooling and aim for PUE values significantly below the industry average. Supplemented by 100 percent renewable energies and openness to H₂ fuel cells, this infrastructure combines digitalization and climate protection at a technical level.

Conclusion: Shaping the energy landscape of tomorrow

The industry is at a crossroads. Data centers today are far more than just data processors – they act as central partners in the energy transition. In view of globally declining vacancy rates averaging 6.6 percent, the pressure to act is high. Those who think systemically now and invest in efficient, grid-serving infrastructure not only secure the basis for future digital innovations, but also actively shape the energy landscape of tomorrow.

Sources:
1. GDA – Datacenter Outlook Germany 2025/26
2. CBRE – Global Data Center Trends 2025