Wine, cheese, data center and dolomite: Europe’s first data center will be built in an active mine in the Italian Alps

In the near future, a unique underground data center will appear in the Italian Alps, which will be located in an active mine, where dolomite is still being mined, and apples, wine and cheese are stored in mined out adits nearby. According to the University of Trento, the data center will begin providing colocation services as early as 2026.

The project will be implemented by the university together with Trentino DataMine. Covi Costruzioni, Dedagroup (Deda), GPI Group and ISA-Istituto Atesino di Sviluppo will also take part. Intacture’s capacity will be 5 MW and the facility will accommodate approximately 1,220 racks. The implementation will cost €50.2 million. Of this, €18.4 million will be received from the state as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), and the rest will be provided by private investors.

Image source: Trentino DataMine

The data center will be built in the Val di Non mountain, 40 km from Trento. Construction is underway in the mine of the Tassullo company, which leads dolomite mining. Such projects are implemented quite rarely in the world, since data centers need infrastructure: good roads, affordable electricity, clean water, etc. At the same time, an underground data center has a number of advantages compared to above-ground ones – it is a stable temperature all year round, the possibility of free cooling, protection from adverse weather conditions and even electromagnetic pulses, etc. Such data centers have a high potential for energy efficiency and economic efficiency in general.

According to a representative of Trentino DataMine, the San Romedio mine, where the data center will be located, provides maximum physical protection, including against seismic and hydrogeological risks. In addition, it is possible to save more than 25% of electricity compared to the European average, and up to 40% compared to Mediterranean countries. In addition, there will be no need to occupy a plot of land, since more than 80% of the data center structures will be located in the bowels of the mountain. PUE will not be higher than 1.25.

Currently, the construction of the Intacture data center is in the first phase. The authors of the project at Trentino DataMine already see the transformation of the data center into a “green” innovation hub, not only for the region, but for the entire country. The provision of other services in addition to colocation is not excluded, including for research in the field of natural sciences, AI, “energy transition” and cybersecurity.

The intention to build a data center near Trento was announced back in 2023, but its implementation was officially announced only in early October after work had begun. Although the capacity of this data center is too small for hyperscalers, it can provide a completely suitable site for local projects – in the region there is a fiber-optic line connecting the facility to data centers in Milan.