NorthC Group will start construction of a new data center in Geneva in the first quarter of this year. The facility will have a capacity of 4.5MW and will be specially prepared for AI workloads with direct-to-chip liquid cooling. It will be the organization’s sixth data center in Switzerland.
The new data center will be built on The Hive campus, a technology park just outside Geneva. NorthC will deliver the total IT capacity of 4.5MW in phases of 1.5MW. The first phase is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2028. The data center will have a total area of 5,400 square meters.
The location has been chosen strategically. “Geneva is an important commercial and economic hub in Switzerland, alongside the Basel and Zurich regions,” says CEO Alexandra Schless. “Demand for digital services – and consequently for data center capacity – is growing rapidly.” She also believes that the proximity of the CERN research center offers opportunities for collaboration in scientific research and innovation.
Sustainability and AI readiness
NorthC is committed to sustainability in its construction. The data center runs on 100 percent green electricity and the cooling system does not consume any water. Emergency power generators use HVO100 fuel instead of diesel. HVO100 is produced from renewable raw materials such as vegetable oils and waste fats.
The data center is being prepared for demanding applications. Using direct-to-chip (D2C) liquid cooling, the facility supports AI inference and high-performance computing. This cooling technology dissipates heat from computer chips more efficiently than traditional methods. AI and high-density workloads are key drivers behind the expansion of the Swiss data center market.
Modular design and heat exchange
NorthC is building the data center according to a standard modular design. Additional modules will be added as soon as more capacity is needed. This ensures more efficient energy consumption and faster scaling. The data center will have a direct data connection to the other NorthC locations in Switzerland, enabling customers across different regions to easily access services.
Like virtually all NorthC data centers, this location will also be equipped to exchange residual heat. At The Hive campus, this will be used to heat other buildings. Preparations will also be made for a possible connection to the district heating network of the local energy company.
With this sixth data center, NorthC is strengthening its position in Northwest Europe. The organization already has data centers in Biel, Winterthur, Münchenstein, and a location in Arlesheim that is still to be realized.