Summary
- Colt DCS has begun construction of its Berlin 1 and Berlin 2 campus.
- The development has an 80MVA power contract supporting 54MW of proposed IT capacity.
- A 110kV substation forms part of the electrical works, with Berlin 1 targeted for operation by the end of 2028.
Colt Data Centre Services has begun construction of a two-building hyperscale data centre campus east of Berlin, progressing a development designed to provide a combined 54MW of IT capacity.
The site lies approximately 10 kilometres east of the German capital and covers around 9.5 acres. Colt previously secured the land and an 80MVA electricity contract to support the proposed facilities.
Berlin 1 is scheduled to become operational by the end of 2028. Colt has not disclosed how the eventual 54MW of computing capacity will be divided between Berlin 1 and Berlin 2, or a commissioning date for the second building.
H&MV Engineering is delivering a 110kV gas-insulated substation as part of the site’s electrical infrastructure. That work forms an important connection between the external electricity network and the distribution systems serving the development.
The project was first outlined in April 2025, when Colt described plans to expand its German capacity beyond its established Frankfurt operations. Construction now provides a measurable change in the status of the Berlin investment.
The developer intends the two buildings to accommodate traditional cloud infrastructure as well as higher-performance computing systems, including equipment used for artificial intelligence workloads.
Electrical delivery governs the construction programme
The substation will have to be integrated with the site’s downstream electrical infrastructure before the buildings can support operating IT equipment. Transformers, switchgear, protection systems, backup power, and internal distribution must be coordinated with the permanent supply arrangements.
A gas-insulated substation uses enclosed switching equipment to manage high-voltage circuits in a comparatively compact configuration. Its final installation and operating requirements depend on the approved design and the standards applicable to the connection.
Colt’s 80MVA electricity contract and proposed 54MW IT capacity describe different measures. Apparent power is expressed in megavolt-amperes, while the IT load is expressed in megawatts. Their relationship depends partly on power factor, and the facility must also supply cooling, distribution, and other supporting systems.
Consequently, neither figure should be used as a direct substitute for the other. The amount of IT power eventually commissioned will depend on the completed facility and its operational limits.
The electrical programme also needs to remain aligned with civil construction. Data halls cannot enter full commissioning simply because the building envelope is complete; permanent power, controls, cooling systems, and safety arrangements must be available and tested.
For high-density computing, the design must support electrical and thermal loads that can vary considerably between customer configurations. Colt has not disclosed the final cooling specification for Berlin 1, so no particular liquid-cooling arrangement can yet be treated as confirmed.
Berlin expands Colt’s German development footprint
Colt already operates facilities in Frankfurt, one of Europe’s principal interconnection and hyperscale markets. Berlin extends its development pipeline into another major German commercial and technology centre.
Geographic expansion may offer customers additional location options, but the availability of land and electricity remains fundamental to the commercial value of a prospective facility. Large computing customers also require suitable network connectivity, resilience, and service arrangements.
Colt has reported approximately 15 operational data centres and almost 800MW of development capacity across its wider international portfolio. That pipeline includes facilities at different development stages and should not be interpreted as presently operating capacity.
At Berlin, the outstanding construction work includes the electrical infrastructure as well as the buildings and supporting mechanical systems. The company has not identified an anchor customer or disclosed the investment value associated with the latest construction milestone.
The end-of-2028 operational target for Berlin 1 remains the next major programme benchmark. Commissioning will establish whether the constructed facility and its power connection can deliver the capacity envisaged in Colt’s campus plans.
