Italy’s Committee for Attracting Foreign Investment is developing a strategy to guide the location of future data centers, aiming to prevent new facilities from concentrating in areas already under pressure. The committee discussed the issue at its latest plenary meeting at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, with regional authorities expected to help identify suitable locations.
Seven of the 10 major projects declared to be of national strategic interest under the Asset decree involve data centers. Together, they are valued at €26.9 billion, out of more than €35 billion for all 10 programs. Companies involved include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, OpenAI, Equinix, Vantage and EdgeConneX.
The committee also wants to involve Italian suppliers in areas such as components, electricity networks, generators and cooling systems. According to Terna, requests to connect new data centers to the electricity grid exceeded 100 gigawatts as of August 31, with nearly half of the requested capacity in Lombardy.
The Committee for Attracting Foreign Investment is monitoring 88 projects worth €104.7 billion from 22 countries, of which 72 are under way. Excluding data centers and major programs, its core portfolio comprises 57 projects worth €63 billion. Energy accounts for €70 billion across 21 initiatives, followed by technology and innovation at €20.8 billion.
Sources: Il Sole 24 Ore Italia.