Digital Realty enters the Italia market, 2 billion for data centres

A double strategic acquisition to accelerate growth in Italia, backed by a €2 billion investment plan in Italy, for Digital Realty – the US giant specialising in carrier-neutral data centre solutions , colocation and interconnection, listed on the New York Stock Exchange – which has announced its entry into the Milan market (following its entry into the Rome market in August).

The investment in Milan “is not an isolated transaction,” Alessandro Talotta, Executive Managing Director for Italia at Digital Realty, explained to *Il Sole 24 Ore*, “but part of a strategy that places Italy at the centre of the infrastructure network for Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Investments have already been made in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), France (Paris and Marseille), and Greece (Athens and Heraklion, on Crete). The aim is to create a digital axis linking strategic hubs such as Athens, Marseille and Sofia, integrating with ongoing projects in Barcelona and Crete. In this scenario, Italia becomes the natural bridge to the markets of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, providing the necessary support for the exponential growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence. This is also because, at present, the 18 landing stations for submarine cables arriving from Africa in Sicily then divert towards Marseille.”

Digital Realty has completed the acquisition of two plots of land in Abbiategrasso, south-west of Milan, just one kilometre apart. Strategically located along the submarine cable corridor linking Milan to Genoa and Savona, the site will provide access to a diversified and resilient terrestrial fibre-optic infrastructure network.

The project will begin with an initial 8-megawatt phase, dedicated primarily to retail colocation and interconnection services. The facility is scheduled to become operational in 2028. But this is just the beginning: to meet the ever-increasing demand associated with large-scale enterprise projects, plans are already in place to expand the main site, which will bring the total capacity to 84 megawatts.

“With this project,” added Paula Cogan, EMEA Managing Director at Digital Realty, “we are providing the strategic infrastructure needed to consolidate Milan’s position as a leading digital hub.” The expansion in Milan complements the ROM1 project, located less than 15 kilometres from the coast in the Trigoria area, which will offer, in its initial phase, over 3 megawatts of installed IT capacity. The site covers an area of 22 hectares – approximately 220,000 square metres – and is set to undergo further development phases. Currently under construction and set to open in early 2027. “When it comes to energy,” Talotta explains, “we are focusing on green energy. Between 30 and 40 per cent of our investments are dedicated to new renewable energy projects.”