Norwegian data centre industry founds business association 

Author: Carly Weller

The Norwegian data centre industry has strengthened its joint cooperation and has founded the business association Norwegian Data Centre Industry (Norsk Datasenterindustri). The founders of the association consist of leading operators in the Norwegian data centre industry and the power companies Ringerikskraft and Statkraft. The association is placed under ICT-Norway and will strengthen the industry’s efforts for improved framework conditions and increased joint international marketing.

For the past year and a half, society has undergone a digitalisation that no one could have imagined before the pandemic. The importance of data centres as pillars of the digital infrastructure and guarantors of secure access to digital services for the public and private sectors has become very clear during this period.

The Norwegian Data Centre Industry will work to strengthen Norway’s position as a data centre nation internationally, supported by the facts that Norway offers the highest share of renewable energy in Europe, with a very low climate footprint and the lowest electricity prices. In order to attract major international players to Norway, the association will work with the following topics:

• Improved framework conditions for the data centre sector
• Simplify procedures for construction and operation of large data centres
• Coordinate international marketing activities
• Contribute to more and better educational offerings within the data centre sector
• Promote the use of sustainable technology and contribute to reaching the climate-neutrality objective

“Norway has all the prerequisites to become an attractive country to invest in a computerised business sector. The Norwegian data centre industry has an untapped growth and value creation potential, set against a large and rapidly growing international market. The Norwegian Data Centre Industry will be a key player in ensuring good growth conditions and framework conditions for the industry, and I am pleased with the opportunity to lead this work forward”, says General Manager Bjørn Rønning.

“Invest in Norway, a section of Innovation Norway, is working to attract foreign investments in Norway, including in the data centre industry. We are very positive to the formation of the Norwegian Data Centre Industry, with the most mature players in Norway at the forefront. We look forward to a fruitful cooperation”, says Benedicte Fasmer Waaler, special adviser, Invest in Norway.