HSCALE expands Milan hyperscale data centre plans
Author: Joe Peck
HSCALE, a London-based pan-European hyperscale data centre developer, has completed the acquisition of a second hyperscale data centre campus in northwest Milan, Italy, bringing its total planned power capacity in the region to 250MW.
The company, which is backed by Bain Capital, says the combined investment across both Milan campuses will exceed €2 billion (£1.7 billion), with facilities expected to be ready for service in 2028.
Both campuses are located in Settimo, northwest Milan, an area the company describes as one of the region’s most established hyperscale infrastructure locations. HSCALE says the sites are fully owned, with power capacity secured and pre-construction work already underway.
According to the company, the projects are intended to support growing demand for hyperscale cloud and AI infrastructure across Southern Europe.
Oliver Schiebel, CEO of HSCALE, explains, “We designed HSCALE’s Milan campuses around a simple principle: the building should never be the bottleneck.
“Our base design is liquid-cooled first, built for the most demanding hyperscale and AI workloads, and can pivot to air-cooled traditional deployments in the same physical structure. No redesign, no additional capex.
“We design and build like this because we understand the long-term commitments our customers must make.”
Flexible cooling designs target AI workloads
HSCALE says the campuses have been designed to support multiple cooling approaches, including air cooling, direct liquid cooling, and hybrid configurations.
The company states that this flexibility is intended to support both traditional cloud infrastructure and higher-density AI workloads without requiring major facility redesigns.
Paul Berry-Selwood, CCO at HSCALE, says, “Milan is one of the strongest hyperscale markets in Europe and we are committing around €2 billion to this region because we understand what the market needs and are serious about its growth potential.
“Our team closed the second site, secured the power, and is already progressing through pre-construction, ensuring we deliver real capacity as fast as possible.”
The announcement also highlights Milan’s growing role as a connectivity hub, supported by the Milan Internet Exchange and increasing hyperscale investment outside traditional FLAP-D markets.
Renewable energy and regional investment plans
HSCALE says its Milan energy strategy currently targets an electricity mix with approximately 50% renewable generation, including solar, wind, and hydroelectric sources.
The company also states that it is working with Aquila Clean Energy as part of a wider clean energy partnership.
In addition to infrastructure investment, HSCALE says the developments are expected to create jobs across construction, engineering, IT, and data centre operations within the Milan region.
The company is also supporting local initiatives including the Festival di Villa Arconati cultural event.
