Digital Realty has started construction on ZUR4, a new data center in Glattbrugg, Switzerland, as demand for high-density computing and locally controlled digital infrastructure continues to reshape European capacity plans. The facility will deliver 15MW of planned IT capacity across 6,300 square meters, with completion targeted for 2028. ZUR4 will connect customers to cloud services and Digital Realty’s PlatformDIGITAL, the company’s global data center platform spanning more than 300 facilities worldwide. The project also expands the company’s existing Zurich campus, giving organizations another locally operated option for workloads that require resilience, connectivity and specific data-location requirements.

Digital Realty designed ZUR4 around the changing demands of AI and machine-learning infrastructure rather than conventional enterprise computing alone. The facility will support high-density deployments through advanced cooling technologies and an energy-efficient design intended to handle increasingly demanding compute environments. Digital Realty also says the site will operate on 100 percent renewable energy, placing power efficiency and sustainability alongside capacity as core elements of the project. For Switzerland, that combination points toward a broader shift in which data center expansion increasingly ties compute availability to sovereignty, energy strategy and access to digital ecosystems.

Zurich Becomes a Strategic AI Infrastructure Hub

The ZUR4 project forms part of Digital Realty’s wider European construction pipeline, which includes the ongoing FRA20 development in Frankfurt and VIE13 in Vienna. The company sees Zurich as a strategically important market as customers look for infrastructure that can support AI workloads while keeping data and connectivity requirements closer to their operating environments. Yves Zischek, Managing Director of Digital Realty in Austria and Switzerland, framed the expansion around that wider regional demand. “Our continued investments in Zurich and across Europe including the ongoing construction of FRA20 in Frankfurt and VIE13 in Vienna reflect both the strategic importance of the region and the growing demand for AI-optimized, data-sovereign and sustainable digital infrastructure,” said, Yves Zischek, Managing Director of Digital Realty in Austria and Switzerland.

Zischek also highlighted the scale of Digital Realty’s existing ecosystem in Glattbrugg and beyond. “With ZUR4 and the continued expansion of our campus in Glattbrugg, we are creating a future-proof ecosystem that connects more than 200 customers on-site and more than 6,000 customers worldwide.” That customer base gives the new facility a role beyond simply adding megawatts, because ZUR4 can extend access to an established connectivity and cloud environment. Meanwhile, the project reinforces Digital Realty’s strategy of building capacity where AI growth, enterprise demand and data-sovereignty considerations overlap.

Switzerland Pushes Further Toward Digital Sovereignty

Swiss officials have also positioned the project as part of the country’s broader digital infrastructure priorities. Barbara Franzen, a member of the Cantonal Council for the FDP in the Canton of Zurich, linked the investment to the region’s economic and innovation capacity. “The expansion of ZUR4 vividly demonstrates how much digital infrastructure has become the backbone of the Canton of Zurich’s economy. Investments like this not only secure jobs and innovative capacity, but also strengthen our digital self-determination as a location.” Nik Gugger, a member of the Swiss National Council, EVP and president of the Swiss Cyber Security Days, emphasized the national importance of locally anchored infrastructure. “Secure, locally anchored data infrastructure is crucial to our country’s digital future. With ZUR4, Digital Realty will be making an important contribution to Switzerland’s digital sovereignty, which is decisive, as well as to the innovative strength of the Canton of Zurich.”

ZUR4 will join Digital Realty’s ZUR1, ZUR2 and ZUR3 facilities at its existing Zurich campus, creating a larger local infrastructure footprint in Glattbrugg. The expansion gives organizations more capacity for workloads where data location, resilience and connectivity can influence infrastructure decisions. For AI deployments in particular, additional high-density capacity can become increasingly important as organizations move from experimentation toward sustained production workloads. The project therefore positions Zurich as a growing node in Digital Realty’s European strategy, with ZUR4 combining additional compute capacity, renewable power and locally operated infrastructure in one expansion.