Publication Date: November 12, 2025
Overview
- Author: Matthias Lindner
- Source: Telepolis
- Date: November 12, 2025
- Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Article Summary
What is this about? Germany is expanding its data center capacity but remains dramatically behind in international comparison. While the USA has 16 times more computing power, experts warn of looming digital dependency.
Key Facts:
- German data centers currently have 2,980 megawatts capacity (+9% from previous year)
- Cloud capacities grew by 16.5% to 1,450 megawatts
- AI data centers to be quadrupled from 530 MW to 2,020 MW by 2030
- USA has 48 gigawatts, China has 38 gigawatts capacity
- Frankfurt dominates with over 1,100 MW (one-third of all German capacity)
- Power consumption rises to 21.3 billion kilowatt hours per year
- Investments: 12 billion euros in IT hardware, 2.5 billion in infrastructure
Affected Groups: German companies increasingly dependent on foreign cloud providers (Amazon, Microsoft, Google); energy suppliers; politics and business in strategic technology decisions.
Opportunities & Risks:
- Opportunities: Frankfurt establishing itself as European hub, Berlin becoming second location
- Risks: Digital sovereignty being lost, technological dependency on USA/China growing
Recommendations: Bitkom calls for "radical reduction" of investment barriers and faster approval processes.
Future Outlook
Short-term (1 year): Further expansion of colocation centers, rising energy costs burden operators, first major AI projects go online.
Medium-term (5 years): By 2030 doubling to 5,000 MW total capacity, AI share rises to 40%. Edge computing establishes itself. Dependency on US hyperscalers solidifies without political countermeasures.
Long-term (10-20 years): Germany could become a "data colony" without massive investments - dependent on foreign data centers for critical infrastructure and AI applications. Alternative: European sovereignty through coordinated EU strategy.
Fact Check
The study by Bitkom and Borderstep Institute provides concrete measured values for German capacity. The international comparison (USA: 48 GW, China: 38 GW vs. Germany: 3 GW) is dramatic and plausible.
[⚠️ Still to be verified]: Exact definitions of capacity measurement between countries could vary. Projections to 2030 are based on current trends but only limitedly consider possible technological leaps or political changes.
Additional Sources
- Digital Sovereignty: Studies by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI)
- European Data Center Strategies: EU Commission Digital Decade Programme
- IT Energy Consumption: Federal Environment Agency reports on data centers and sustainability
Source List
- Original Source: "Is Germany becoming a data colony? USA has 16 times more computing power than us", Telepolis, Link
- Additional Sources:
- Bitkom/Borderstep Institute - Data Center Market Germany (Original Study)
- BSI - IT-Grundschutz Data Centers Guide
- EU Digital Decade Programme - Infrastructure Targets
- Facts checked: November 12, 2025
Brief Conclusion
While Germany is expanding its data center capacity, it lags dramatically behind internationally: The USA has 16 times more computing power. Without massive investments and faster approvals, Germany risks becoming a "data colony" - dependent on foreign tech giants for critical digital infrastructure. Digital sovereignty is at stake.
Three Key Questions
What risks to digital freedom arise when German companies and authorities permanently depend on US-American and Chinese data centers?
Where is more political responsibility needed to eliminate massive investment barriers and lengthy approval processes - and why isn't this happening?
How can European innovation in AI and cloud computing be promoted without falling into dangerous technological dependency on third countries?
Meta
- Version: 1.0
- Author: press@clarus.news
- License: CC-BY 4.0
- Last Update: November 12, 2025