Building Amsterdam’s digital economy: inside AMS01

Every time we stream a film, use our smartphone, shop online or interact with government services we’re using a data centre – on average we unknowingly interact with a data centre about 40 times every day. Yet the benefits these buildings bring to the places that host them are often less well understood.

Data centres are critical infrastructure, as essential to the digital economy as ports and power stations are to the physical one. Well-planned developments bring major investment, create skilled jobs, support local supply chains, contribute to local tax revenues and drive investment in the grid. They are also more efficient than ever: in the Netherlands, almost all data centre electricity comes from green sources, and their residual heat is recognised as renewable energy that can help warm homes.

Our 78MW AMS01 campus in Westpoort, within the Port of Amsterdam, shows how a data centre can contribute to the local and national economy. It is being built on industrial land, a brownfield site, previously unused for years. With over €1 billion of investment, it is currently Amsterdam’s largest development project, providing skilled careers and opportunities for Dutch companies. On completion, it will provide computing in the Netherlands, helping to support more than 350,000 customers from hospitals to large companies.

As a UK-headquartered, European developer, we see AMS01 as part of Europe’s sovereign digital infrastructure. AMS01 helps keep critical data and computing capacity in Europe, subject to European rules and standards.

• Strengthening the grid: a €9 million grid reinforcement programme is planned, with the first €1.5 million already funding a metering programme to better understand energy use within the Port area. As the project progresses this will allow the Port to optimise power, enabling more efficient use of energy and potentially freeing up power for other uses.
• Jobs and skills: a peak construction workforce of 1,100 in 2027, followed by more than 80 permanent skilled roles in engineering, maintenance, security and administration.
• Backing Dutch businesses: Dutch contractors and suppliers are involved throughout design, construction and site services, including Heijmans, Beekman, Hamer, Voorbij, Scheldebouw, Van Rossum and Roskamp.
• Efficient by design: an annualised design PUE below 1.18 at full load, beating the Dutch energy efficiency target of 1.2.
• Responsible water use: a WUE of around 0.2 – this is half the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact target of 0.4 for water-constrained areas. The water we use is non-potable surface and river water from the Port of Amsterdam’s industrial supply, managed by Waternet, so it does not draw on drinking water.
• Ready to share heat: the campus is designed to export waste heat. Detailed heat-exchange design with Vattenfall is under way, with discussions continuing with the local district heating network operator.
• Supporting public services: approximately €4 million a year in business rates, taxes and revenues to the City of Amsterdam.