Digital Realty has launched its first data center on the Greek island of Crete.

The facility - dubbed HER1 - supports a 1MW IT load, with the potential to expand to 5MW.

It comprises two 500kW prefabricated data halls and two prefabricated power modules, containing MV, transformers, UPS equipment, and air cooling systems, all from Schneider Electric.

Plans for the data center first surfaced in October 2022.

“Digital Realty’s substantial investment in our new Heraklion data center highlights our dedication to establishing the Mediterranean as a global connectivity hub, connecting continents and enabling digital transformation,” said Fabrice Coquio, senior vice president at Digital Realty, France.

Pablo Ruiz Escribano, senior vice president of secure power and data center business at Schneider Electric, Europe, added: “For many years Schneider Electric has partnered with Digital Realty to meet exacting standards for its data center buildouts globally, and our work together at HER1 demonstrates the massive potential that prefabricated solutions present to meet demanding deployment timeframes, while minimizing demand.”

At a launch event attended today by DCD, Digital Realty pitched the new data center as a way to augment its significant presence in Marseille.

While that hub focuses on the west of the Mediterranean, Crete could become a connection hub for East Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, Digital’s Coquio said, pointing to a growing number of submarine cables landing on the island.

Crete, specifically Chania, is currently a landing point for the AAE-1, Blue, MedNautilus, and Silphium subsea cables. Vodafone recently landed the IEX subsea cable at its Tympakios open cable landing station on the south of the island.

Digital Realty currently has three other Greek data centers, all located on the same campus in Athens. The campus was set up by Lamda Hellix, a local operator founded in 2002 and acquired by Digital Realty’s Interxion in 2020.