Europe’s largest 3D-printed Data Centre completed in Germany

In Germany, Europe’s largest 3D printed data centre, the Wavehouse data centre, described as the first of its kind in the industrial and data centre sectors globally has officially been completed.

The construction of the nearly 600-square-meter building was accomplished using a BOD2 3D printer, taking a total of 140 hours. The companies involved reported that approximately 450 tons of printing concrete were utilized for this project. This particular material is noteworthy for being 100% recyclable and containing a binder that can achieve a remarkable 55% reduction in CO2 emissions when compared to conventional Portland cement.

The Heidelberg IT Management, a reputable local cloud and data centre provider established in 2001, will oversee the operations of The Wavehouse. This state-of-the-art facility is projected to provide 500kW of power and house approximately 100 racks. Although the construction of the 3D-printed shell has been finalized, the entire project is anticipated to be completed by the conclusion of the summer season.

The Wavehouse represents a conventional type of data centre, but there are intentions to explore the development of off-grid modular data centres powered by hydrogen and constructed using 3D printing. The data centre construction market is vast, with projections indicating a seven percent growth from $250.4 billion in 2023 to $270 billion in 2024, which is logical considering the increasing demand for servers driven by advancements like artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

To meet the growing demand, builders are expected to increasingly rely on AC for faster construction of these structures. This will also showcase the capability of 3D printing in creating facilities that fulfil the cooling and structural integrity needs of data centres.