CyrusOne Inc.

19/07/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 19/07/2024 15:19

CyrusOne Breaks Ground on Most Recent Data Center in Germany, Representing One of the Largest Waste Heat Utilization Projects in Europe

Deutsche Version

CyrusOne, a leading global data center developer and operator, has officially broken ground on its newest data center in Germany (FRA7), strategically located on a 63,000 square meter plot at FRANKFURT WESTSIDE; a 73-hectare commercial and industrial mixed-use regeneration project managed by BEOS AG and Swiss Life Asset Managers.

This latest milestone follows CyrusOne's initial announcement in September 2023 confirming it had been selected to deliver a cutting-edge 81MW data center scheme that prioritizes sustainability within the development, representing one of the largest waste heat utilization projects in Europe. CyrusOne's strategic partnership with BEOS AG and Swiss Life Asset Managers was subsequently solidified with the official 'handover protocol' in April 2024. The first phase of 9MW of IT capacity is expected to be delivered in Q2 2026.

"Germany is currently a critical growth market for CyrusOne in Europe," said Carsten Schneider, MD Germany at CyrusOne. "We are investing significantly in the State of Hessen, and this groundbreaking further solidifies our commitment to make a positive impact and contribution to this state and to the German economy more widely. We look forward to continuing our valued partnership with BEOS AG as we work toward our shared objective to build the most sustainable and community-focused development."

The FRA7 development represents an ultimate investment by CyrusOne anticipated to exceed €1 billion and the project is expected to generate over 500 full-time positions both directly and within its immediate design and construction value chain. The company is committed to supporting local businesses wherever possible, employing local people and offering training and apprenticeship opportunities.

Working closely with the State of Hesse, the groundbreaking ceremony celebrates CyrusOne's continued commitment to the German market, with distinguished attendees including Boris Rhein, Prime Minister of the State of Hesse, and Matthias Schmidt, member of the Executive Board of BEOS AG.

"CyrusOne's commitment to Frankfurt affirms the strategic importance of Hesse as a hub for digital infrastructure in Europe," said the Prime Minister of Hesse, Boris Rhein. "As one of the leading providers of data center services, CyrusOne strengthens the attractiveness of the data center market in the greater Frankfurt metropolitan area and contributes to the economic strength of Hesse. Data centers are an essential requirement for further digitalization, the application of artificial intelligence, and to enable digital transformation in our country."

"The collaboration with CyrusOne has served as a model for us from the outset, and we look forward to taking the next steps in this partnership," said Matthias Schmidt, member of the Executive Board of BEOS AG. "The groundbreaking ceremony is another milestone in the implementation of our shared vision, in which the consistent pursuit of our ESG goals is an important building block. The symbiosis of data center and campus development is now taking shape and will characterize FRANKFURT WESTSIDE. What is being created here is not just a building - it is a symbol of international cooperation, as well as effective coordination with local politics and forward-thinking leadership."

With sustainability at the heart of the FRANKFURT WESTSIDE project, the campus has already been pre-assessed for DGNB Platinum, and CyrusOne's highly efficient data center has been designed to achieve a BREEAM 'Very Good' certification as a minimum. Additional best practices that will be implemented include:

Heat Re-Use

Provision of waste heat by CyrusOne's FRA7 data center is a key aspect of FRANKFURT WESTSIDE, with the facility capable of deploying up to 40MW of waste heat to the campus heating network through innovative methods when the data center is operating at full capacity.

The process is designed to enable heat from the servers in the data halls to be absorbed into a water system that will be connected via heat exchangers to pipe network infrastructure, built and enabled by BEOS, that will in turn connect to the buildings on the development. Depending on the heat requirement, the temperature of the water will be increased via a solar-powered heat pump within each building. This will enable the local community of users, industrial tenants and employees to benefit from a "waste" product, thus reducing their carbon footprint.

Power

CyrusOne and BEOS have contracted to secure significant power provision in a very competitive market for the entire development, with 150MVA utility power supply at 110kV. It also intends to invest in extensive construction measures to create a new redundant high-voltage grid connection and a dedicated substation serving the data centers and the entire campus.

This unique arrangement is designed to bring greater levels of efficiency in electrical distribution so that each building in the development is able to maximize the use of renewable-sourced energy and to align with the anticipated energy efficiency targets proposed by German legislation. The data center is also designed to incorporate PV cells on the roof to generate power for the office areas and other ancillary spaces.

Biodiversity & Community

CyrusOne and BEOS AG have worked together to breathe new life into the industrial park. The development as a whole will promote the efficient use of the existing structures, careful use of resources and provide open space designed for biodiversity, leisure, and recreation. CyrusOne's dedicated biodiversity initiatives will also be prioritized, with ecological landscaping to increase biodiversity and provide habitats for wildlife, the provision of 5,500 sqm of open green space, and the planting of over sixty trees. Over 1,800 sqm of the facility walls and roofs will be 'green', not only creating an aesthetically pleasing outlook for the local community but also improving air quality by filtering pollutants, reducing noise and supporting thermoregulation.

About CyrusOne

CyrusOne is a leading global data center owner, developer and operator, delivering sophisticated digital infrastructure solutions worldwide. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates over 55 data centers across the United States and Europe in key digital gateway markets. Specializing in comprehensive solutions for hyperscale and Fortune 1000 companies, CyrusOne enables customers to align with their unique business and sustainability goals, catering to the complex needs of AI-driven applications and services workloads. CyrusOne's data centers offer unparalleled flexibility, enabling customers to modernize, simplify, and rapidly respond to changing demands. CyrusOne delivers tailored build-to-suit, colocation, and interconnection solutions that meet the evolving digital needs of its customers. For more information, please visit cyrusone.com.

About FRANKFURT WESTSIDE

Ever since 1856 the 73-hectare Griesheim Industrial Park had been an established industrial location in a central, well-connected area of Frankfurt directly on the northern banks of the River Main. The foundation for its use to date as a chemical park was laid at that time with the establishment of "Frankfurter Aktiengesellschaft für landwirtschaftlich chemische Fabrikate". Over 160 years later the site is seeing an ongoing radical change: in the meantime it is above all small firms and SMEs from the industrial, trade and service provider sectors which have located here.

In January 2020 a joint project company of BEOS AG and Swiss Life Asset Managers concluded a leasehold agreement for 575,000 square metres with the owner Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH. The objective is to gradually convert the former site for chemical production into a modern commercial and industrial mixed-use campus. To this end an additional leasehold agreement for one of the two remaining plots of land was concluded in 2022. The two leasehold agreements do not expire until 2118 and together they encompass some 73 hectares, an area which accounts for virtually the entire site and corresponds to about 102 football pitches. In August 2023 two construction plots in the western/north-western section of the campus were sold to the global data center operator, CyrusOne.

Swiss Life Asset Managers

Swiss Life Asset Managers has more than 165 years of experience in managing the assets of the Swiss Life Group. This insurance background has exerted a key influence on the investment philosophy of Swiss Life Asset Managers, which is governed by such principles as value preservation, the generation of consistent and sustainable performance and a responsible approach to risks. Swiss Life Asset Managers offers this proven approach to third-party clients in Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the UK, Italy and the Nordic countries.

As at 31 December 2023 assets under management for third-party clients amount to EUR 120.4 billion. Together with insurance assets for the Swiss Life Group, total assets under management at Swiss Life Asset Managers stood at EUR 275.4 billion. Swiss Life Asset Managers is a leading real estate manager in Europe1. Of the assets totalling EUR 275.4 billion, EUR 92.0 billion is invested in real estate. In addition, Swiss Life Asset Managers, in cooperation with Livit, manages real estate totalling EUR 22.9 billion in value. Total real estate assets under management and administration at the end of December 2023 thus came to EUR 114.9 billion.

Swiss Life Asset Managers' subsidiary BEOS AG is the leading asset manager and project developer of corporate real estate in Germany. Founded in 1997, with an interdisciplinary team of around 250 people, the company manages a portfolio of mixed-use commercial real estate with around 4.4 million square metres of rental space and over EUR 7.1 billion in assets under management (based on gross fund assets, as at 31 December 2023). BEOS is a service provider under the Swiss Life Asset Managers' umbrella for institutional investors' portfolio properties in all major German cities. With its special funds, it has provided an avenue since 2010 for German institutional investors to enter the fast-growing corporate real estate asset class.

BEOS AG is one of the best employers in the SME and real estate sector: in the 2023 employer ranking published by the journal "Immobilien Zeitung", graduates in real estate voted BEOS among the top three employers in Germany for the sixth consecutive time after 2018, 2019 and 2020, 2021 and 2022. In addition, BEOS received an award in all its entries in the "Top Job" employer competition in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Swiss Life Asset Managers employs more than 2200 people in Europe.

Self-determined Life

Swiss Life enables people to lead a self-determined life and look to the future with confidence. Swiss Life Asset Managers pursues the same goal: We think long-term and act responsibly. We use our knowledge and experience to develop future-oriented investment solutions. This is how we support our customers in achieving their long-term investment objectives, which in turn also take account of their client's needs so they can plan their financial future in a self-determined manner.

1 INREV Fund Manager Survey 2023 (AuM as of 31.12.2022)

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements that refer to future plans and expectations, projections of our future performance or operations, our anticipated growth and trends in our and our customers' respective businesses, industries and geographical markets, and other characterizations of future events or circumstances, such as the development, design, completion, operation and leasing of the FRA7 data center campus at Frankfurt Westside and other sites under development in the European market. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the industries and locations in which we and our customers operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management as of the date of this press release. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary materially and adversely from those expressed or implied in this press release. These statements are made as of the date of this press release and CyrusOne disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.