European data centre operator maincubes is set to commence development of a new data centre campus near Berlin, marking a further step in the company’s expansion of digital infrastructure in the German capital region. Following the finalisation of the zoning plan for its Nauen site and the signing of a 200 MW grid connection agreement, the legal and infrastructural foundations for the project are now in place. The first data centre (of up to six) on the campus, BER02, is already at an advanced stage of planning. A construction application for the campus’s dedicated 110kV substation has also been submitted.
A Digital Node in Western Berlin
With its “mainHub Berlin” campus, maincubes is establishing a strategic location west of Berlin (Germany’s second Cloud region) that is gaining increasing importance within Europe’s digital infrastructure landscape. The wider Berlin metropolitan region is rapidly evolving into a dynamic centre for the digital economy, particularly for hyperscalers and AI Gigafactories. The Berlin-Brandenburg area offers stable energy supply—supported by regional wind and solar power generation—clear and reliable regulatory frameworks, and direct access to an innovation ecosystem comprising start-ups, established tech companies, and leading research institutes.
In addition, the region functions as a critical gateway to Eastern Europe and serves as a strategic entry point to Central and Eastern European markets for many international enterprises. This unique combination of infrastructure resilience, innovation, and geopolitical relevance makes the location highly attractive for companies pursuing scalable IT systems and sustainable growth.
The new campus will expand maincubes’ presence in the capital region, complementing the BER01 facility in Berlin, which began operations earlier this year.
Legal Framework Secured
On 2 July 2025, the land use and zoning plan for the Nauen site became legally binding – marking a significant milestone in the project’s development. The fast and coordinated planning process was carried out in close cooperation with the city of Nauen and relevant authorities, ensuring planning certainty for the upcoming construction phases.
Power Infrastructure as a Core Component
In parallel with securing planning approval, maincubes has also ensured the site’s future energy supply. The company intends to build a dedicated 110kV substation on site, with the relevant construction application already submitted. A grid connection agreement has also recently been signed with regional utility provider E.DIS, guaranteeing the connection to the local electricity grid and energy supply starting in 2027. These steps establish a secure energy infrastructure, which is essential for dependable data centre operations.
Sustainability Built In – Waste Heat as a Resource
In addition to performance and availability, the development of BER02 is firmly focused on sustainability. The campus will offer up to 200 megawatts of power capacity and is designed for compute-intensive applications such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Looking ahead, this capacity can grow to over 400 megawatts, partly enabled by the direct integration of regionally and sustainably generated energy. The project follows a clear ESG strategy: energy-efficient operations are central to the concept, as is the future use of waste heat. In cooperation with municipal partners, waste heat generated by the facility is to be fed into local heating networks—for instance, to supply nearby residential and commercial areas. BER02 will thus contribute not only to the region’s digital transformation but also to its sustainable development.
Oliver Menzel, CEO of maincubes, commented:
“With mainHub Berlin, we are creating a state-of-the-art data centre campus that is both locally integrated and globally connected. The launch of the development in Nauen marks another major milestone for maincubes and reflects our strategic mission to build sustainable, future-proof digital infrastructure. At the same time, it supports Germany’s national digitisation goals, which identify resilient, energy-efficient and sovereign infrastructures as key enablers of a competitive and secure digital society.”
Thomas Wacker, Chief Development Officer at maincubes, added:
“The development of BER02 demonstrates how efficiently large-scale projects can be realised when planning, permitting and partnerships are closely aligned. The fact that we were able to finalise the zoning and secure the energy connection in such a short timeframe sends a strong signal, to both our customers and to the region.”
BER02 forms part of maincubes’ wider growth strategy and complements its existing data centres in Frankfurt, Berlin and Amsterdam. The company continues to focus on high availability, energy efficiency and sustainable operations as it expands its position as a leading data centre operator in Europe.
