The bottom line: Germany currently has only just under three gigawatts of data centre capacity, with 500 megawatts for AI, but must expand to up to six gigawatts—delays caused by local resistance jeopardize global competitiveness.
Siemens Energy Chief Christian Bruch warns that Germany is falling behind in building infrastructure for artificial intelligence. Without its own data centres, economic consequences are inevitable.
Christian Bruch, Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Energy, expressed concern over the sluggish development of data centres in Germany. «If we don’t bring data centres and the associated value creation into the country, it will have consequences for our prosperity,» said Bruch. Siemens Energy itself does not operate data centres, but supplies the industry with infrastructure components.
A concrete example of the delays: US-based company Edgeconnex has halted construction of a data centre in Maintal near Frankfurt. A citizens’ initiative had opposed the construction of a gas-fired power plant to supply electricity to the facility. Bruch’s response is brief: «To be honest, things like that baffle me.» His central warning is: «Those who arrive too late are punished by life. I see this danger very concretely when it comes to data centres and AI.»
Germany currently has data centre capacity of just under three gigawatts, of which approximately 500 megawatts are used for AI applications. In international competition, the USA leads, followed by China. The Federal Republic plans to expand to at least six gigawatts of total capacity, of which at least two gigawatts should be reserved specifically for AI applications. Bruch emphasizes that Europe still has opportunities in the AI sector, but this requires the actual realization of the necessary infrastructure.
The growing energy demand from data centres is in conflict with local acceptance problems. These friction losses could jeopardize Europe’s position in AI development in the long term if delays like those in Maintal accumulate.
Source: www.it-daily.net · Published 12 June 2026
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