ITALY'S DATA CENTERS: THE ENGINE OF THE COUNTRY'S DIGITAL FUTURE

MILAN, ITALY • Italy is poised to become a significant European tech hub, driven by the rapid expansion of its data center market. With favorable conditions for investment and a projected tripling of sector employment, the country aims to harness the power of AI and high-performance computing, despite challenges in human capital and energy distribution.

Milan, Italy, April 23, 2025 – 4:53 PM – The Data Center market is undergoing rapid expansion due to the increasing demand for advanced storage and computation, fueled by artificial intelligence and high-performance infrastructures. According to the first analysis by the "Data Center Italia" Community of TEHA Group, by 2028, data volume will surge from 149 to over 394 zettabytes. The global market leader is the United States, with over 5,000 data centers, followed by the EU with 2,220 units.

In this scenario, Italy, ranking 5th in Europe and 12th globally, represents 7.6% of the European total. It is an attractive market for data center investments due to the availability of suitable and already connected areas, some of the lowest connection times in Europe, and an energy model that can rely on diverse energy sources. This combination of favorable conditions could enable €23 billion in investments for construction, procurement, and IT server infill for new infrastructures by 2030, bringing economic benefits and tripling employment in the sector over the next five years.

The Event

While Italy has the potential to be a leading technological hub in Europe, challenges remain. These include the need to invest in human capital to bridge the shortage of skilled personnel and, crucially, the urgency of building infrastructures capable of efficiently distributing energy. TEHA Group's analysis, in this context, aims to promote the adoption of digital infrastructures, valorizing national expertise, and creating synergies with the energy sector to establish Italy as a European and global benchmark. The presentation of new solutions and collected data will take place during the 14th edition of the Technology Forum, TEHA Group's main innovation event, scheduled for May 8th and 9th at the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées, in Stresa, on Lake Maggiore.

Alessandro Viviani's Commentary

"Digital development is now a strategic lever to revive competitiveness and productivity in Europe, and data centers represent the critical infrastructure par excellence. Italy has a unique opportunity to position itself as a key technological hub in Europe and the Mediterranean, but it must overcome critical issues, such as regulations and an authorization process that highlight best practices (more efficiency, more sustainability, and greater value for the territory), the valorization of strategic supply chains, and the energy challenge. This must be addressed by pragmatically and non-ideologically utilizing all available energy and decarbonization levers," explains Alessandro Viviani, Associate Partner and Head of the Data Center Community at TEHA Group. "Data centers are engines of innovation and an opportunity to strengthen the country's economic resilience, stimulating qualified employment and investments in sectors like plant engineering and real estate. To achieve this, a clear vision and cross-industry collaboration are needed: a structured dialogue involving all actors in the value chain, from data management to energy infrastructures, up to the public sector."

Two "Hyperscale" Models

By 2030, 60% of data center capacity will be "Hyperscale," highlighting a trend towards centralization of digital infrastructures to meet the growing demand for scalable and efficient solutions. In parallel, there is an intention to work on the development of distributed and smaller-scale infrastructures, designed to meet specific business needs, such as sensitive data management, latency reduction, and compliance with regulatory requirements. These are two different hyperscale models that are not in opposition but can integrate, offering complementary solutions to diverse needs.

The Net Zero Digital Hub

The TEHA Group Data Center Community proposes the creation of a Net Zero Digital Energy Hub: an integrated territorial planning model that concentrates investments in IT and energy infrastructures and utilizes diversified resources, such as hydrogen, biomethane, and CO₂ capture and storage technologies. This aims to ensure reliable timelines, minimize environmental impact, and provide flexibility, all within a framework of technological neutrality. Furthermore, a change of pace is needed to define technological best practices and accelerate authorization processes, for example, when an infrastructure maximizes plant and system efficiency, minimizes territorial impact and infrastructure risks, generates concrete returns for local communities, or is carbon neutral and has a low environmental impact.

Agenda Topics

Among the topics on the agenda are the strategic role of data centers at the intersection of finance, energy, and artificial intelligence, with international experts discussing strategies and perspectives for the digital future of Italy and the world. The frontiers of artificial intelligence, Web 3.0, and quantum computing will be explored, with a focus on how these technologies can be used to build a truly transformative future. The key role of Europe in the development of quantum technologies will also be addressed, along with a focus on the future of manufacturing and the use of AI and robotics to enhance (rather than replace) human capabilities, decarbonization, and ongoing paths toward a sustainable transition, and next-generation energy technologies.