Construction is expected to begin over the next year on Lamda Hellix A Digital Realty Company’s new multi-user data center (where companies can rent space to host their data) in Heraklion, Crete. The installation called “Heraklion-1” was presented yesterday by the President and Managing Director of the company Apostolos Kakkos at an event in Heraklion, where the “gift” was presented by the Minister of Development Adonis Georgiadis. The first phase of the data center, which will have a capacity of up to 6.5 MW, will be completed in 2025. In December, the company plans to apply to the Ministry of Development and Investments for Heraklion-1 to be included in a flagship investment of exceptional importance.

According to the information, including the cost of land and connection to the power grid, the cost of building a new data center in Heraklion will be between 10 and 15 euros per watt. The 20+ MW investment designed and executed by Lamda Hellix, which was acquired in 2020 by U.S. data center services group Digital Realty, is valued at €2 billion, with the company planning to double its workforce over the next three years. . According to the international consulting company IDG, for every €1 of Lamda Hellix’s initial investment in Greece, the total value added exceeds €8.23.

The facility will act as a junction for intercontinental and regional submarine cables that terminate in Crete.

Heraklion 1 is the culmination of our journey, as with the realization of this symbolic investment – a landmark for Crete – the vision of many years is realized. The vision of placing the mega-island and Greece on the international data map,” said Mr. Kakkos. The new data center, which is expected to receive a building permit in the first half of 2023, will be built on a site in the industrial area of ​​Heraklion. According to the information, there are several buildings there today, the demolition of which the company is expected to begin in the coming weeks. The facility will act as a connecting hub for intercontinental and regional submarine cables that will eventually terminate in Crete, including Heraklion, Chania, Tympakion and Sitia. In this direction, according to information, there is an interest of at least ten companies in the construction of an underwater fiber-optic network.

In the long term, Lamda Hellix is ​​reportedly starting to build another data center in Crete, while new investments are expected to develop in Athens. As Mr. Georgiadis said yesterday, the opening of the new Athens-3 data center in Koropi will take place on December 8, which will be completed much earlier than the original schedule (first half of 2023). Also in the next few weeks, a license will be issued for Athens-4, which will be located in the Athens data center Campus Lamda Hellix. The company has two operating data centers and is building two more, with Heraklion-1 being the fifth in its portfolio.