Overview
- Local officials handed over the building permits at a symbolic groundbreaking, allowing full construction to start after earlier approvals covered only earthworks.
- Microsoft plans three interconnected sites in Bergheim, Bedburg and Elsdorf to provide resilient operations, though Elsdorf remains pending.
- The investment totals €3.2 billion, with the majority directed to the Rheinisches Revier and a smaller share allocated to Hessen.
- Several thousand jobs are expected during construction, followed by several hundred permanent roles once the data centers are operational.
- Company-funded programs have already reached about 100,000 people via a KI‑Mobil and delivered AI courses to 25,000 finance employees and 10,000 teachers, as federal and state ministers praised the project’s role in regional digital transformation.