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VIRTUS DATA CENTRES ANNOUNCES FIRST FACILITY IN ITALY
VIRTUS Data Centres , part of the ST Telemedia Global Data
Centres Group , has confirmed plans to establish its first facility in Italy .
Located in Cornaredo , within the Milan West data centre cluster , this new site represents a key milestone in VIRTUS ’ European expansion strategy .
The facility will be developed on a 71,000 sqm brownfield site which has zoning in place for a 44,000 sqm facility . With the capacity to deliver 70MW of grid power , the site will provide ample capacity to support hyperscalers , enterprises and service providers as digital infrastructure demands in Europe continue to grow .
The new facility is expected to be Ready for Service in 2027 , bringing additional capacity to one of Europe ’ s most important data centre markets .
Neil Cresswell , CEO , VIRTUS Data Centres , said : “ We are very excited to be continuing our expansion in Europe at pace . Milan is an important European technology hub , and this new development demonstrates our commitment to meeting the demands of our customers for reliable , flexible , high- quality infrastructure . By repurposing a brownfield site , we are minimising environmental impact while strengthening our presence in Europe ’ s key digital territories .”
The Milan data centre is designed to support the increasing requirements of AI workloads , hyperscale environments and high-density computing , while ensuring operational efficiency .
Consistent with VIRTUS ’ commitment to sustainability , the project will incorporate best practices to reduce environmental impact .
The partnership will support the development of Digital Realty ’ s first data centre in Crete , HER1 – scheduled to become operational in early 2025 with an expected initial capacity of 1 MW .
HER1 will serve as the first carrier-neutral facility in Crete , with intentions of addressing a significant gap in the region by allowing international and regional subsea cables to interconnect , a transformative step toward making Greece a major connectivity hub for Southern and Eastern Europe , as well as regions beyond .
Fabrice Coquio , Senior Vice President and Managing Director , Europe Med , Digital Realty , said : “ By leveraging EXA ’ s extensive network capabilities , HER1 will not only bridge critical connectivity gaps in the Mediterranean but also further position Greece as a strategic gateway for data traffic between Eastern Europe , the Middle East , Africa , Asia Pacific , and beyond .”
Digital Realty has announced the activation of a point of presence ( PoP ) in collaboration with EXA Infrastructure
( EXA ) to bring enhanced connectivity solutions to Crete .
DIGITAL REALTY AND EXA INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNER TO ADVANCE CRETE AS A MAJOR CONNECTIVITY HUB
Steve Roberts , Senior Vice President Network Investment and Product Management , EXA , said : “ Strengthening Crete ’ s connectivity landscape , EXA will deliver robust connectivity between Eastern and Western Mediterranean .”
Extending connectivity further into Eastern and Central Europe , including key locations such as Zagreb and Vienna , EXA will also offer network links between Heraklion and Chania on Crete using HER1 as an interconnection facility to exchange traffic and optimise capacities .
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