Playmobil's Parent Company Plans a 100-MW Data Center

November 4, 2026

Source: E & M powernews

The Horst Brandstätter Group is planning a data center campus in Dietenhofen. N-Ergie has committed to providing grid capacity for an initial 100 MW of power.

A data center campus is set to be built on the approximately 18-hectare Playmobil factory grounds in Dietenhofen, Franconia. The parent company of the toy manufacturer, the Horst Brandstätter Group, plans to invest hundreds of millions in the project. According to a company statement, “Playmobil digital” has been established as a new business division alongside toys, amusement parks, and planters.

The site, where the toy figures were previously manufactured, already has a 110-kV grid connection with two feeders from different directions. The initial plan calls for 100 MW of electrical connection capacity, with potential for further expansion. N-Ergie has guaranteed the necessary grid capacities.
Users of the campus are expected to include regional companies, data center operators, and international hyperscalers. Discussions are already underway. The site is connected to existing data backbones.

“Where Playmobil was produced for decades, we want to enable one of the most important infrastructures of the digital future. We are transforming an existing industrial site instead of developing new greenfield sites,” says Matthias Fauser, CEO of the Brandstätter Group.

Four usage models planned

The company plans to offer four usage models for the campus.
• Under “Land & Power,” an operator leases a developed building lot with a power connection and builds its own data center.
• In the “Powered Shell and Private Suite” model, Playmobil Digital provides the building, power supply, cooling, and security; while the customer provides its own IT equipment.
• “Colocation” offers ready-to-use space ranging from a single server cabinet to a dedicated room.
• Under “Managed Capacity,” customers receive ready-to-use computing power without having to purchase their own hardware.

The offerings are designed to be combinable and scalable. The property remains the property of the foundation-run corporate group. According to its own statements, Playmobil Digital develops and operates the campus itself and finances the shared energy, cooling, and security infrastructure. Additional buildings can also be constructed upon request.

“The site is thus under German ownership and subject to German law,” the press release states verbatim. Until now, various cost factors have determined competitiveness—the Brandstätter Group ultimately relocated Playmobil production entirely abroad. For data centers, the long-term availability of high electrical connection capacities is crucial. This makes the existing infrastructure the foundation for a new form of value creation.

The current Energy Efficiency Act requires new data centers to meet specific energy efficiency standards. The ratio of the data center’s total energy consumption to the energy consumption of its IT equipment must not exceed 1.2. In addition, for facilities commissioned on or after July 2028, a minimum of 20 percent of energy must come from recycled sources—typically waste heat. Furthermore, starting in 2027, electricity consumption must be fully covered by renewable energy sources on a net basis. However, the federal government intends to relax the waste heat regulations and efficiency deadlines in an ongoing legislative amendment.

Second Data Center Still Without a Connection Commitment

The Brandstätter Group has announced that the campus will use renewable electricity, supplemented by its own photovoltaic systems on rooftops and suitable open spaces. Additional generation and storage technologies are planned for the future. In the future, waste heat is to be supplied to companies or municipal heating networks.

Another data center is planned for an industrial park in Neuhof an der Zenn, a few kilometers from Dietenhofen. According to media reports, the U.S.-based AI provider Anthropic is involved in the project. Mayor Claudia Wust explained on her municipality’s website in late October that N-Ergie had initially reserved the currently available grid capacity for the Brandstätter Group’s data center project. As a result, the project in Neuhof lacks a binding commitment for grid connection. Wust therefore proposes dividing the available capacity into two portions of approximately 50 MW each for the time being, in order to allow both projects to continue their planning and make investment decisions.

Author: Fritz Wilhelm