Last week, Microsoft purchased land for a new data centre in Middenmeer, located on the west side of the A7 motorway in the Netherlands. The project will be an extension of the existing data centre campus on the business park in the municipality of Hollands Kroon.

The explosive growth in hardware requirements for AI and the rapidly increasing demand for data storage have convinced Microsoft to go ahead with this expansion. 

“We have 300,000 customers who want to store their data close by in a sovereign country,” Joris Schoonis, CEO of Microsoft Netherlands, told local news outlet NH Nieuws. 

Geopolitical tensions with Russia reinforce this need for secure data storage within the Netherlands, according to the Microsoft executive.

Lessons from the past

The previous data centre caused a lot of unrest and protests due to a lack of consultation with local residents. 

“We want to be extra transparent and collaborate more with our neighbors. We have learned our lessons,” acknowledges Nick Hengelman, director of data centres Netherlands at Microsoft.

Sustainable plans

Microsoft is planning a publicly accessible area around the data centre with lots of water. This water is there for a reason: it also serves to collect rainwater to cool the data centre. 

“Instead of tap water, we are switching to rainwater as much as possible,” says Hengelman.

The company is also investigating the possibility of solar panels, although these pose a fire hazard. Microsoft already has a contract with Vattenfall for electricity from the Wieringermeer wind farm.

Employment and compensation

The new data centre is expected to create approximately 350 jobs, 70 percent of which will be filled by people from the region. In addition, around 200 indirect jobs are expected to be created at local companies. Microsoft is investing millions in educational projects and training for the region. All staff also do three days of volunteer work at local schools each year.

The permit procedure is expected to take another year, after which construction will take several years.

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