The 6th Data Centre Expert Summit 2026, held at area3 in Dreieich, brought together experts from the data centre industry, the energy sector, planning, network infrastructure, politics and public administration. The focus was on key questions relating to the further development of digital infrastructure. A review.

With Dr Béla Waldhauser stepping back from active involvement, the eco Data Centre Competence Group is restructuring its leadership team. Going forward, Joachim Astel (noris network AG), Jens Leuchters (Global Switch), Anne Omar (FOGTEC) and Martin Zunken (Robert C. Spies) will jointly lead the Competence Group.

The winners of the eco Data Centre Award 2026 have been announced: at the awards ceremony on the eve of the Data Centre Expert Summit 2026, an independent six-member expert jury recognised innovative data centre projects and outstanding individuals in the data centre sector.

Grid connection is increasingly becoming a decisive factor in new data centre projects. Daniel Marhewka, a partner and Attorney-at-Law at Fieldfisher, outlines the legal hurdles involved and how greater planning certainty can be achieved.

Critical infrastructure such as data centres requires security concepts that go beyond traditional monitoring. In this interview, Georgij Sieloff, Executive Director of PSA Sicherheitsmanagement GmbH, explains why physical security, trained staff and measurable operational quality are crucial for resilient digital infrastructure.

The Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany has warned against regulatory missteps in the anticipated Tech Sovereignty Package. Europe needs faster approvals, predictable grid connections, and a practical labelling system in order to effectively expand AI, cloud and data centre capacities.

Germany’s digital future needs pioneers, and we have found them. On 6 June 2026, the eve of the 6th Data Centre Expert Summit, the eco Data Centre Award will once again shine a spotlight on groundbreaking innovations at area3 in Dreieich.

The two-day Tech Show Frankfurt 2026: eco brought together the Internet industry with key partners, featuring engaging panel discussions and in-depth exchanges. The focus was on digital sovereignty, AI infrastructures, edge computing and the future of Germany as a data centre hub.

A new position paper from the Internet industry highlights the key obstacles now facing the sector: grid connections, electricity prices and viable framework conditions are becoming decisive factors for the expansion of data centres in Germany. Without swift implementation of energy policy measures, there is a risk that investments will move elsewhere.

Artificial intelligence is significantly changing the demands placed on data centres. Sascha Horn, Regional Strategic Account Manager for DACH at Vertiv and a speaker at this year’s DCES, explains which adaptations are necessary and why a rethink in infrastructure planning is unavoidable.

dotmagazine is an international online magazine covering Internet industry topics, featuring articles from members and partners. Intelligence, interconnection and trust: this edition focuses on the pillars shaping next-generation data centre infrastructure.

The interim assessment of digital policy after just under a year of the German federal government’s tenure is mixed: in the eco Digitalpuls, the Association of the Internet Industry evaluates key digital policy initiatives across six areas of action. The results show that, despite initial progress, German digital policy still lacks impact.

Ahead of the eco Data Centre Expert Summit, Karsten Paeth (ABB) explains ABB’s role in data centre infrastructure. From planning and operations to grid integration, Paeth highlights the challenges posed by exponential growth and the solutions required.

The Alliance for the Strengthening Digital Infrastructures, founded under the umbrella of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, announces a change in the role of spokesperson. Dr. Béla Waldhauser is handing over the role of spokesperson to Volker Ludwig, SVP and Managing Director Central Europe at Digital Realty.

The Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany regards Hesse’s data centre strategy as a significant boost for the region’s digital sector. It highlights the strategic expansion and a multi-faceted approach as particular strengths. At the same time, the industry believes there is still a need for clarification regarding energy infrastructure, grid connectivity and the specific role of local authorities.

dotmagazine is an international online magazine covering Internet industry topics, featuring articles from members and partners. This particular edition explores how Europe’s data centres and digital infrastructure are transforming into resilient, adaptive ecosystems, addressing energy constraints, security challenges, and the growing need for sovereignty in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape.

The Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany, operating under the umbrella of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, welcomes key elements of the German federal government’s National Data Centre Strategy, which is set to be adopted by the cabinet today. In particular, the target of doubling data centre capacity by 2030 and quadrupling AI capacity sends an important signal for competitiveness and digital sovereignty from the industry’s perspective.

As AI workloads and high-density computing loads change how data centers operate, transparency and control over infrastructure are becoming increasingly important. In the interview, James Stuart from Nlyte Software explains how modern DCIM platforms are evolving into real-time intelligence layers.

In the run-up to the event "Future-Proof Data Centres in the Age of AI – New Challenges for Infrastructure, the Power Grid and Existing Facilities", Michael Würth, Global Head of Datacenter Services GRF at SAP, explains how data centres must position themselves technologically and energetically in order to operate AI workloads efficiently, resiliently and sustainably.

Increasing power densities, AI applications and modular expansion concepts are fundamentally changing the requirements for data centres. Matthias Nitschke, Director of Data Center Solutions at Corning, talks to eco about the role fibre architectures play in scalability and future-proofing, how planning and collaboration are changing, and what aspects decision-makers should consider today in order to create sustainable data center infrastructures for the long term.

AI applications, industrial real-time processes and data-intensive services are fundamentally transforming the requirements for digital infrastructures. Fibre optics remain the foundation; however, proximity to computing power is becoming increasingly decisive. In an interview, Lutz Lohse, Managing Director of enviaTEL, explains why edge data centres in particular are becoming a strategic building block: they enable local data processing, reduce latency and create economic added value for industry and municipalities.

With the rapid growth of data-intensive applications, the demands on high-performance network infrastructures are also increasing. Wolfram Rinner, Managing Director of GasLINE, provides insights into current trends, innovation potential and the long-term outlook for modern fibre-optic networks. He will be a panellist at the German “eco Datacenter Plaza at fiberdays 26.”

Gcore operates its own global IT infrastructure across six continents and is the newest member of the Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany, founded under the umbrella of eco. In this interview, Elena Simon, Managing Director of Gcore DACH, addresses the key challenges and significant advantages of Germany as a digital location.

The Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany, founded under the umbrella of eco, will continue to be represented on the Board of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact (CNDCP) in 2026 and 2027.

In this interview, eco’s Managing Director Alexander Rabe talks about the importance of data centres for digital transformation and eco’s strategic role in shaping the political and technological aspects of digital change. The focus is particularly on fiberdays 26, where eco is designing the new German “Datacenter Plaza” for the first time.

According to Rabe, this trend is positive. However, eco’s Managing Director would have liked to see a little more consistency in the adjustments in some areas. This applies, for example, to the Design PUE. It is also regrettable that the flat-rate ERF values are still included in the law.

Data centres are the foundation of digital value creation in Frankfurt and the entire Rhine-Main region. The new study by IW and Detecon provides clear figures and shows that, in contrast to the economy as a whole, the industry is recording record growth. The city and the entire Rhine-Main region also benefit significantly from this.

The eco Data Centre Alliance criticises the German federal government’s failed location policy. In particular, the Federal Council’s proposal on grid connection allocation – rejected by the Economic Committee — together with yesterday’s coalition committee agreement on an industrial electricity price, are, in the association’s view, jeopardising the data centre industry in Germany.

With the AI transformation and structural change, the Rhineland region is developing into a digital hub in the heart of Europe. In an interview with eco, Emil Issagholian (RheinEnergie) explains the role of energy infrastructure in this development.

Data centres are a key growth driver for Germany as a business location. To enable Germany to realise the full potential of artificial intelligence and digital innovations, eco has formulated five key requirements for a data centre strategy of the German federal government.