Attract a data centre: bringing together site, investors and operators.
Do you see potential for a data centre in your municipality? SH Digital connects the development of suitable sites with outreach to potential investors, financing partners and operators. We coordinate the early clarifications and bring the parties together for the next project steps.
One central point of contact for site and delivery partners
Municipal site development and the search for suitable market partners belong together. We look at the conditions of your land and relate them to the requirements of potential investors and operators. The result for your municipality is a coordinated process with clear contacts and clear next steps.
Appraise site potential
Land, power supply, fibre, cooling and waste heat options considered in a structured way.
Approach investors and operators
Selecting and approaching suitable contacts based on the site profile, project scale, development status and requirements.
Coordinate development
Organising the exchange between the municipality, owners, infrastructure partners and potential delivery partners.
Suitable investors and operators for your data centre site
SH Digital has contacts with national and international investors, financing partners and data centre operators. These contacts are used project by project: based on the site conditions, we approach those market participants for whom a location is a realistic candidate at all.
- Not every site suits every operator or investment profile. Capacity outlook, land, connectivity and timing determine which requirements a site can meet.
- A structured site basis enables targeted outreach — instead of broad enquiries without reliable information.
- Operator, investor and financing partner can take on different roles; in some projects they coincide, in others they do not.
- Interest, review and binding participation are different project stages and are treated accordingly.
Is your municipality suitable as a data centre location?
That question cannot be answered by looking at a plot of land alone. Whether a location is a candidate for a data centre or an AI data centre follows from how land, connectable power supply, connectivity, cooling and timing work together.
A well-shaped, serviced plot is a starting point, not a site assessment. What matters is how much electrical capacity can realistically be made available for this specific plot, on what terms, at what cost and within what timeframe. The same question applies to fibre connectivity, to cooling and to the planning framework.
The assessment can begin even when the initial information is incomplete. In practice, the location, an approximate area and part of the supply picture are often all that is known at the outset. That is enough to name the decisive questions and to put the necessary clarifications in a sensible order — rather than commissioning studies whose result depends on a question that is still open.
SH Digital coordinates these early clarifications: we structure the information at hand, bring together the exchange with owners, municipal contacts, municipal utilities and grid operators, and set out which specialist reviews are needed, when, and who has to provide them.
What makes a site interesting to data centre operators
The following topics usually determine whether a location is pursued further. They are interdependent: an excellent plot without a realistic prospect of grid capacity remains as difficult as a strong supply situation without suitable land.
- Power supply and grid connection
- The decisive factor is the capacity that can actually be made available for the specific plot — together with connection conditions, cost and timing. The total capacity of an industrial estate must not be equated with capacity freely available for a single project. Any statement about a possible connection has to be clarified with the responsible grid operator, including at which voltage level and via which connection point a link is feasible at all.
- Land and planning law
- Shape and topography, existing servicing, previous use and contamination status, the planning framework and the immediate surroundings. Equally important: whether the site can be developed in phases and whether expansion land can be secured in the long term.
- Fibre and connectivity
- Which connection options exist nearby and what prospect there is for several independent routes. Reachable ducts and handover points matter, as does the question of who could deliver a connection.
- Cooling
- Which cooling options suit a location depends on local conditions and the technical concept — from the climate and the space available for plant to emissions and neighbouring uses. Water availability and discharge only need to be clarified if the chosen concept requires water.
- Waste heat
- Possible offtakers within reach, the temperature level required, how heat demand is distributed across the year and the infrastructure needed for it. Whether and how waste heat can be used is decided on these points, not on the amount of heat alone.
Using data centre waste heat locally
Data centres release heat continuously, so including it in local heat supply is an obvious consideration for municipalities. Whether that becomes a viable concept depends on the location and on the offtakers.
Heat networks
Existing or planned municipal networks are the most common starting point because they can take heat continuously and in larger volumes. The network temperature level and the distance to the feed-in point are decisive.
Pools and municipal buildings
Swimming pools, schools, sports and administrative buildings have a demand that can be estimated reliably. Pools are particularly interesting because their heat demand is evenly distributed across the year.
Industry and agriculture
Production sites, drying processes or horticultural businesses can use heat at low temperature levels. What counts is a demand profile that matches data centre operation.
Residential quarters
New-build or refurbishment quarters can be included where planning and timing align and the pipe infrastructure is considered from the start.
- Usability and economic viability depend on the location and cannot be judged in general terms.
- In many constellations heat pumps are required to raise the temperature level to the offtaker's requirements.
- Additional pipe infrastructure, transfer stations and space for plant may become necessary.
- Physical proximity alone does not guarantee a viable concept — how heat demand is distributed over time matters just as much.
- Aligning early with municipal utilities and potential heat offtakers is worthwhile while the planning is still flexible.
What SH Digital contributes to site development
Our work is site and project development: we put the parties involved and the open questions into an order that makes sound decisions possible.
- 01
Structuring the site information at hand
Location, plot shape, previous use, servicing and everything already known about supply are brought together into a coherent picture.
- 02
Appraising potential and open questions
We set out what speaks for the location, which points are critical, and which question has to be answered first because other clarifications depend on it.
- 03
Coordinating the exchange
Owners, the municipality, economic development, municipal utilities and grid operators often talk about the same site at different times. We bring that exchange together and record where matters stand.
- 04
Identifying the specialist reviews required
We set out which technical, planning or energy-sector reviews are needed, when it makes sense to commission them and which prior questions they depend on.
- 05
Structuring further development steps
The interim picture turns into a clear sequence: next steps, responsibilities and the points at which a new decision is required.
From offering a site to talking with delivery partners
The entry point is an initial conversation without obligation. The scope and responsibilities of our support are agreed project by project.
Record the starting point
Gathering the land, ownership situation and the infrastructure information available.
Develop the site profile
Structuring potential, open questions and the specialist reviews required.
Approach suitable market partners
Addressing suitable investors, financing partners and operators on the basis of the site profile.
Coordinate project conversations
Aligning interests, responsibilities and further development steps between the parties involved.
Frequently asked questions about attracting data centres
Short answers to the questions that come up most often in municipal conversations.
Does SH Digital also help find a data centre operator?
Yes. Approaching potential operators and investors is part of the support described here. The basis is the site conditions and the approach agreed with you.
Can we present a site even though no investor has been found yet?
Yes. The site information available can form the basis for a first appraisal and for targeted outreach afterwards.
Is SH Digital an operator or a capital provider itself?
SH Digital provides site and project development along with the coordination of, and outreach to, possible delivery partners. The roles for financing, construction and operation are defined in the specific project.
Does our municipality have to have settled all technical questions already?
No. For a first conversation, the information available is enough. Open questions are structured and taken forward with the responsible parties.
Does presenting a site already imply an investment commitment?
No. Any participation depends on the individual review and on the agreements made by the partners involved.
Which sites are candidates for a data centre?
An assessment is worthwhile wherever commercially usable or developable land meets a realistic prospect of grid capacity and fibre connectivity. Shape, servicing, surroundings and room for development are decisive — not a fixed minimum size. How much land and how much capacity a project needs depends on the concept and is determined case by case.
Does the available grid capacity have to be known already?
No. Often all that is known at the outset is which lines and installations are nearby. That is enough for a first conversation. A reliable statement on the connection comes from the responsible grid operator; our task is to prepare that clarification and to raise the right questions at the right time.
Can smaller sites be suitable for AI data centres?
That is possible. Data centres for AI workloads differ from classic sites in power density, cooling concept and space requirements. Whether a smaller site fits is decided by the capacity that can be connected, the cooling option and connectivity — not by plot size alone.
Can an existing commercial building be an option?
In some cases yes. Load capacity and storey heights, the existing electrical infrastructure, space for cooling and backup power, fire safety and the permitting framework for a change of use all need to be reviewed. Whether reusing an existing building is more economical than a new build only emerges from a specific assessment.
How can waste heat be used locally?
Through an offtaker that needs heat continuously and at a suitable temperature level — for example a heat network, a swimming pool, municipal buildings or industrial users. A transfer solution is usually required, often heat pumps and additional pipe infrastructure. The path starts with a conversation between the municipality, the municipal utility and potential offtakers, before the data centre concept is fixed.
What information does SH Digital need for a first conversation?
The municipality and location, an approximate plot area, the ownership or availability situation as far as known, the previous use, everything known about the power supply, and possible heat offtakers nearby. Missing details are not a reason to hold back — they become part of the clarification.
What is the municipality's role, and what is SH Digital's?
The municipality knows its land, the planning status and the local parties, and decides on its own steps within its remit. SH Digital structures the site information, coordinates the early clarifications with owners, municipal utilities and grid operators, and names the specialist reviews required. Official decisions and procedures remain with the competent authorities.
Your land. A possible data centre.
Would you like to assess the potential of a site, or are you looking for access to suitable investors and operators? Let us discuss the starting point and the possible next steps.
Helpful for a first conversation
- Municipality and location of the site
- Approximate plot area
- Ownership or availability situation, as far as known
- Previous use of the site
- What is known about the power supply
- Possible heat offtakers nearby, if known
Missing information is not a reason to hold back.
In-person conversations
- Western Germany
- In-person conversations at short notice by arrangement.
- London
- In-person conversations at short notice by arrangement.
These entries describe where conversations can take place, not office locations.