Digital Realty breaks ground in Rome

Author: Joe Peck

Digital Realty, a provider of carrier-neutral data centre, colocation, and interconnection systems, today announced it has broken ground on its first data centre in Rome, aiming to strengthen its position in delivering PlatformDIGITAL, a connected data centre platform, across the Mediterranean region.

The new facility, ROM1, is intended to be a highly connected, carrier-neutral data centre, designed to support the latest AI technologies and provide access to a broad ecosystem of global and regional connectivity providers.

ROM1 will also be equipped with the capacity to support and interconnect with multiple subsea cable systems, promising to position the site as a strategic hub and gateway linking Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Strategically located within 15 kilometres of the coast, ROM1 will offer over 3MW of installed IT capacity upon completion, with future expansion under consideration across the 22-hectare site – equivalent to approximately 2.3 million ft² or around 213,677 m² – making it one of the largest data centre campuses in the country when fully built out.

“Rome is not only a key economic hub in Southern Europe, but also a critical entry point to the broader Mediterranean – a region that is fast emerging as a vital gateway for global connectivity,” sats Alessandro Talotta, Managing Director, Digital Realty in Italy.

“ROM1 represents a major milestone in our strategy to build out a dense network of highly connected, sustainable data centre hubs across key growth markets, enabling our customers to scale their digital infrastructure and reach across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.”

ROM1 will complement Digital Realty’s existing presence in other Mediterranean locations including Athens, Marseille, Zagreb, and the recently launched HER1 facility in Crete. It also precedes the forthcoming planned development of a new interconnection hub in Barcelona as part of the company’s expansion across Europe’s southern edge.

According to Digital Realty, ROM1 is expected to contribute to faster, more resilient connectivity across Southern Europe and could significantly reduce latency between northern and southern Italy, bolstering the country’s competitiveness on the global stage.

In line with the company’s global sustainability strategy, ROM1 will be matched with 100% renewable energy, supporting the data centre provider’s goal to minimise environmental impact while meeting growing demand for digital infrastructure.

The ROM1 data centre is currently on schedule to be completed in 2027 and marks the first phase of a larger campus.

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