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A clear, sustainable growth path for the Dutch data center industry

A clear, sustainable growth path for the Dutch data center industry

The DDA’s market report shows the growing importance of data centers during the current crisis and provides insight into a sustainable future

June 11, Amsterdam – With 55% of the workforce working from home, the Dutch rely heavily on its digital foundation. This has clear sustainability gains: the Netherlands consumes 10% less energy and has so far emitted 5 Mton CO2 less, while the power consumption of the data centers themselves increased by only 1-4%. This is evident from the annual market report, entitled “Go Digital, Act Sustainable”, which trade association Dutch Data Center Association (DDA) presents today during an online knowledge event.

The annual “State of the Dutch Data Centers” surveyed the Dutch data center market for the sixth time. The theme “Go Digital, Act Sustainable” shows that two important global developments, digitalization and the energy transition, come together in data centers. Data centers facilitate the digital economy, and also work hard on their efficiency. In addition, the DDA reports that 86% of their members use green energy; in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, where 74% of DDA data centers are located, this is even 99%.

Growth of the Dutch data hub

The demand for data centers services keeps growing, even during these turbulent times. The total Dutch data floor area expanded by 10% last year. The 189 Dutch colocation data centers now jointly cover 378,000 m2 of data floor. The DDA survey shows that the sector sees finding new customers, attracting suitable personnel and having sufficient power connections as key challenges for further growth.

“The importance of data centers is increasingly felt, especially during the Covid-19 lockdowns, but is also shown via the successive years of fast growth,” says Stijn Grove, Managing Director of the DDA. A consequence of this increased importance is that the sector is put under closer scrutiny. In July last year two municipalities within the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (MRA), Amsterdam and Haarlemmermeer, announced a temporary pause in issuing new permits for data center projects. Since the announcement, there has been an ongoing positive and constructive dialogue between the DDA and governmental parties on both a regional and national level. In consultation with the sector, the new policy documents will be submitted to the relevant municipal councils in early July for approval. “We are positive and happy that the Amsterdam region now has a clear growth path towards the future,” says Stijn Grove. “The already fully electrified data center sector shows how growth can take place in a sustainable manner, with the sector continuing to work hard on higher energy efficiency and reuse of residual heat.”

Go Digital, Act Sustainable

The “State of the Dutch Data Centers 2020” report will be published this morning during an online knowledge and network event. In addition to a presentation of the research, the competitive position of Amsterdam compared to other European data hubs such as Frankfurt and London will also be discussed.

Download the report ‘State of the Dutch Data Centers 2020’

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