Hesse Leads the Way in Data Centers
October 1, 2026
Source: E & M powernews
Author: Fritz Wilhelm
The installed capacity of data centers is unevenly distributed across Germany. An IFA analysis shows that Hesse is clearly in the lead for existing facilities, while Brandenburg leads in new projects.
To date, the electrical connected capacity of data centers in Germany has been heavily concentrated in just a few regions. According to an analysis by IFA Berlin, Hesse alone accounts for just under 70 percent of the recorded connected power of existing data centers. At the same time, the announced new construction projects point to a significant further increase in power demand.
For the study, IFA Berlin analyzed data from the Data Center Map platform on a total of 573 data centers in Germany. Information on connected power in MW was available for 218 locations. According to the analysis, 151 of these data centers are currently in operation, while 67 others are under construction or in the planning stages. IFA is addressing this topic because digital infrastructure, edge and cloud computing, and connectivity are among the key focuses of this year’s electronics trade show in Berlin.
The 151 existing facilities with specified capacity total 1,763.9 MW. Of this, 1,229.8 MW is located in Hesse, which is home to 63 data centers for which connected load data is available. Brandenburg follows far behind with 123.5 MW, and North Rhine-Westphalia with 107.7 MW.
Capacity data is missing for numerous locations
The picture is different when looking at the average connected capacity per data center. Among the federal states with at least five recorded existing facilities, Brandenburg leads with an average of 20.6 MW per data center. Hesse follows with 19.5 MW, ahead of Berlin with 10.7 MW. For Baden-Württemberg, the analysis shows an average of 6.1 MW, and for Bavaria, 4.2 MW.
Even at the level of the largest cities, there is a strong concentration in the Frankfurt area. Among the 20 largest German cities, Frankfurt am Main has a recorded connected load of 581.6 MW. Berlin follows with 96.5 MW, and Hamburg with 31.9 MW. In terms of average connected power as well, Frankfurt leads with 13.2 MW per data center, ahead of Berlin with 10.7 MW and Munich with 4.7 MW.
The capacity of planned projects is significantly higher than that of existing facilities. For 67 data centers under construction or in the planning stages, the data set indicates a total potential available connected capacity of 6,433.7 MW. Brandenburg has the highest figure at 2,598 MW, followed by Hesse with 1,688.9 MW and Baden-Württemberg with 708 MW.
In terms of the number of new projects, Hesse is once again in the lead with 24 projects, just ahead of Brandenburg with 22. The analysis shows nine data centers planned or under construction in Berlin and five in Bavaria. According to the dataset, there are currently no such projects known in Hamburg, Saxony, Saarland, Bremen, and Thuringia.
However, these figures do not reflect the total data center capacity in Germany. According to the IFA, capacity data is missing for numerous locations. For Thuringia, Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, no MW values were available at all. The data reflects the status as of August 2026. Whether all announced projects will actually be implemented—and at what capacity—remains to be seen, according to the IFA.