Only opened this year: Telekom is already expanding its AI data center

In February, Telekom will launch its “AI factory” in Munich. The demand for computing power is high, and corporate customers can use it to save a lot of time. After seven months, the plant is already fully booked.

Due to the high demand for computing power for artificial intelligence (AI), Deutsche Telekom is already expanding its “AI factory” in Munich, which only opened in February. The group is investing almost a quarter of a billion euros, including in the latest generation of chips from the US company Nvidia, explained Telekom. The expansion will increase the output of the data center to 20 megawatts.

“Companies can calculate virtual environments and, for example, test how robots, products or production systems react under realistic conditions,” explained Telekom. “In just a few hours, what currently takes weeks or months can be done.” Your own AI models could also be trained in the AI ​​factory.

“Germany must not just be a user of AI, but must create value and prosperity itself,” emphasized Telekom boss Tim Höttges. Companies gained access to powerful AI infrastructure under European requirements for data protection, security and data control.

The factory called “Industrial AI Cloud” in Munich’s Tucherpark was only put into operation in February. According to Telekom, the data center was fully booked just seven months later. The group therefore began planning further expansion stages in May. The company explained that the growing demand for capacities shows how quickly AI can make the leap from research and pilot projects into commercial practice.

Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger praised the company: "From idea to operation in just a few months, fully booked after a year, now it's doubled. It's exactly this attitude and exactly this pace that we need to win the AI ​​race for Germany and Europe," said the CDU politician.

Telekom emphasized that the AI ​​Cloud in Munich runs energy-efficiently. Including cooling and other infrastructure, the factory requires less than 1.2 kilowatt hours of electricity per kilowatt hour of IT consumption. The company announced that the resulting waste heat will be used sensibly in the future and will supply the entire Tucherpark area with heat.