Danish Government in Ambitious Datacentre Push
Denmark offers many natural benefits for organisations looking to build datacentres in Europe, and a soon-to-be-completed connection to the US will make it even more attractive
Denmark’s ambition to become a leading Nordic and European location for hyperscale datacentres continues to gain momentum by attracting major industry actors and government support.
Danish politicians are calling it the renewable energy “dividend”.
The country is offering access to a low-cost and expanding renewable energy base to lure global companies such as Facebook, Google and Apple.
And the plan appears to be working. Not only do Facebook, Google and Apple have a presence in Denmark, but they are all growing their operations there. Apple is constructing a 166,000m2hyperscale datacentre near Viborg and is set to build a second datacentre near Aabenraa.
Meanwhile, Facebook is building a 55,000m2datacentre in Odense and Google has acquired a 200-acre site in Fredericia and a 280-acre site in Aabenraa for potential datacentre projects.
The Havfrue (the Danish word for mermaid) submarine cable project, which will connect North America with a number of European countries, including Denmark, is seen as another asset to help the Danish government position the country as the Nordics’ top digital hub. The cable system is scheduled to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Denmark’s Nordic hub initiative is an integral part of the government’s digital industry and technology development plan for 2020-2030. The plan, supported by prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s centre-right coalition, aims to create a strong underlying infrastructure in partnership with the private sector.
The long-term strategy is to position Denmark as both a Nordic and pan-European hub for datacentres.
The projected surge in the number and scale of datacentres is certain to have a dramatic impact on the Danish economy. The ministry of economic and business affairs has estimated that Denmark’s electricity consumption will grow by about 24% by 2025, with datacentres responsible for about half of the increase.
The energy “dividend” so prized by Rasmussen’s pro-tech government is primarily based on offering cheap access to the country’s large offshore renewable power base.
Denmark is also investing heavily to strengthen its reputation as a frontier nation for digital technologies. The country’s digital advance is a significant factor in its drive to persuade more datacentre developers to set up operations there.
Provisional estimates, based on data collated by the finance ministries of Denmark and Sweden, indicate that the Nordic datacentre construction market could be worth between €4bn and €5bn by 2024, and Denmark is expected to take the lion’s share of this revenue.
“Denmark’s edge comes from our ample power supply from a high-capacity grid,” said Kim Schultz, a senior adviser on datacentre strategies with Invest in Denmark (IID), the state-funded investment support agency. “We can also provide all the dark fibre required and a large choice of potential low-risk sites. We are seeing increasing interest from digital services companies, internet exchange providers and colocation datacentre operators.”
The Danish government has tasked IID with developing an integrated approach to promoting inward investment from leading actors in the global datacentre and digital community. A central part of this mission is to create structures offering attractive business opportunities to datacentre companies and co-ventures between indigenous enterprises and foreign companies that are looking to locate facilities for computer systems, telecommunications and storage systems in Europe.
The main areas for potential co-ventures identified by IID include facility design, energy efficiency and server cooling. About 40% of a datacentre’s energy consumption is used to cool down the servers. Denmark’s attractions include its climate, which is ideal for cooling; opportunities to pursue advanced green technologies; and a legislative framework that is highly conducive to the construction of datacentres.
Havfrue project
The Havfrue project also promises to boost international interest in Denmark as a datacentre location. The cable will connect New Jersey in the US to the Jutland peninsula on Denmark’s west coast, and will have branch extensions and optional branch links to Ireland’s west coast at Mayo, the UK, the Netherlands and southern Norway.
The project promises to enhance Denmark’s position as a northern European digital hub. The submarine cable, which is owned and operated by a consortium that includes Aqua Communications, Bulk Infrastructure and Facebook, comprises a trunk cable with a cross-sectional cable capacity of 108Tbps which is scalable to higher capacities using next-generation submarine line terminal equipment.
Denmark’s long-term objective is to become a leading international digital hub connecting the Nordics, Europe and North America, said Jesper Frost Rasmussen, mayor of Esbjerg city. Denmark’s biggest cities and regions are competing to attract prestige datacentre projects. As a result, local authorities are increasing investment in IT infrastructure and are offering top-end mobile telephone, internet and broadband networks to lure foreign projects.
For its part, Esbjerg is in advanced negotiations to bring a major datacentre operator to the city, a project Rasmussen describes as “massive for the region”. The still-unnamed foreign company is proposing to build a 250,000m2 datacentre on the west coast outside Esbjerg.
“The Havfrue cable will reach land near here,” said Rasmussen. “We have the infrastructure. The proposed project has the potential to generate a lot of new jobs. Long term, we see the establishment of a hyperscale datacentre as being a forerunner for a continuous line of smaller datacentre operations in the area.
“Google, Apple and Facebook are already operating in the region. We hope to significantly expand this cluster of datacentres in the coming years.”
Source: computerweekly
Latest Jobs
-
- Account Director | Cyber Security Consulting | UK - South East
- London
- N/A
-
Account Director | Cyber Security Consulting - Financial Services | UK - South East. New Role due to Growth We are looking for an experienced Account Director to develop and expand existing relationships across the financial services sector, working with investment firms, asset managers, private equity groups and strategic partners to deliver intelligent cyber consulting and a bespoke Cyber product offerings. You will act as a trusted advisor, helping organisations strengthen digital resilience, manage third-party and regulatory risk and adopt a proactive approach to cyber assurance. Key Responsibilities Manage a defined portfolio of financial clients, understanding business priorities and aligning tailored cyber solutions. Drive new client engagement while nurturing existing partnerships through a consultative, long-term approach. Present the benefits of advanced cyber services including threat intelligence, vulnerability management, incident readiness, and continuous risk monitoring. Collaborate with technical and delivery teams to ensure smooth engagement from proposal through to implementation and ongoing support. Prepare proposals, negotiate commercial terms, and clearly articulate value and business outcomes. Build trusted relationships at senior and board level. Ideal Profile Strong background in cybersecurity, consulting, or risk management within financial services. Skilled communicator with proven success managing and growing key accounts. Able to translate complex technical insight into commercial and strategic value for clients. Confident engaging with senior stakeholders and decision makers. Please note: Sponsorship is not available.
-
- SOC Analyst- Level 2- Hybrid Greater London
- London
- N/A
-
SOC Analyst- Level 2- Hybrid Greater London New opportunity created through continued growth. We’re looking for a SOC Analyst (Level 2) to strengthen a growing managed security team. You’ll work hands-on with Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR, investigating alerts, responding to incidents, and helping improve how clients stay protected. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys unravelling security events, thinking critically under pressure, and making a real difference day to day. What you’ll do · Investigate and respond to security activity across SIEM and endpoint tools · Analyse network and log data to uncover real threats · Support automation initiatives to streamline response processes · Help maintain visibility, data flow, and performance across SOC platforms What you’ll need · Practical experience using Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR · Confident working with KQL or similar query languages · Understanding of attacker tactics and response techniques · SC-200 certifications would be nice. · Experience supporting multiple customer environments Please note: Sponsorship is not available.
-
- Senior SOC Engineer - UK - New role due to growth
- London
- N/A
-
Senior SOC Engineer – New role due to growth We are hiring a Senior SOC Engineer to take the lead across security operations for a growing managed service. You will lead detection, response and onboarding activity across multiple clients, helping shape how the SOC evolves. Expect variety; from fine-tuning alerts and threat hunting to supporting customers and mentoring junior analysts. What you’ll bring · Strong experience across SIEM, EDR, and threat detection tools · Confident working with customers in a managed service environment · Skilled in scripting or query languages such as KQL or PowerShell · Knowledge of frameworks like NIST, ISO27001, MITRE ATT&CK · Calm communicator with a problem-solving mindset · Experience with Azure Lighthouse or delegated access models · Prior involvement in automation or SOC improvement projects Location: South East England- Hybrid role Please note: Sponsorship cannot be offered now or in the future.
-
- SENIOR Cyber Risk Consultant. Cyber Risk consultancy - the right way. UK. Hybrid - Remote first
- United Kingdom
- N/A
-
Senior Cyber Risk Consultant needed. New position due to growth Seeking a passionate Cyber Security Risk Consultant who enjoys helping clients make a different to their business. Dedicated training budgets, Unlimited holiday structured career path, Work life balance guaranteed Cyber Risk consultancy done the right way. A successful individual will have experience working with clients to identify business cyber security risk. This is a remote first opportunity which means you will spend the majority of your time working remotely. You will however spend some time meeting clients as well as meeting up with the team on a monthly basis.. Some of the nice to have certifications. CRISC, ISO27001 Lead implementer, CISA, CISM, CISSP Unable to offer Visa sponsorship now or in the future.