By Alexia Sotiriou

 

The construction of the state-of-the-art data center Heraklion-1, in Heraklion, Crete, is making rapid progress, as announced by Digital Realty, world leader in the market of neutral data centers, colocation and cloud interconnection.

 

This landmark construction marks Digital Realty’s ground-breaking entry into the Mediterranean, at the most south-eastern tip of Europe, and makes the company the only data center platform in Crete, connecting Europe with Asia, the Middle East and East Africa through its extensive network submarine cables.

 

This expansion is also supported by the completed and ongoing investments in Digital Realty’s Athens Campus, the best interconnected data center in the country. Heraklion-1 is scheduled to become operational in the first quarter of 2025 and has already attracted significant interest from businesses in various industries in the wider region.

 

According to the company’s announcement, this positive response highlights the imperative need for reliable data center solutions, underlining the key role that Heraklion-1 will play in meeting these needs.

 

To implement this project, Digital Realty has developed strategic partnerships with leading suppliers of the data center industry such as Schneider Electric. These partnerships facilitate the integration of advanced data center infrastructures, enhancing the reliability and efficiency of Heraklion-1.

 

In addition, Digital Realty has signed Memorandums of Cooperation with leading companies that manage specialized digital infrastructure and submarine cable platforms, including Exa Infrastructure, ensuring a variety of connection corridors between Europe and global destinations.

 

These partnerships strengthen existing agreements and pave the way for further expansion in the Mediterranean. In addition, the route through Greece promises reduced latency, thus enhancing the user experience for many destinations in Eastern Europe.

 

For Digital Realty, Heraklion-1 is a critical element of the company’s wider strategy in the Mediterranean. Combined with the existing hubs in Marseille and Athens, as well as the upcoming hubs in Barcelona, Rome and Tel Aviv, the company’s commitment to being the preferred data center platform in the region is strengthened.

 

The managing director of Digital Realty in Greece, Alexandros Behrakis, expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the project.

 

“Our vision to position Greece as a digital hub through the construction of a state-of-the-art data center in the south-eastern corner of Europe is progressing rapidly. We are excited about the progress of Heraklion-1 and remain committed to completing the data center in March 2025,” he said and added:

 

“We also remain committed to meeting the needs of our customers and partners, and look forward to delivering a world-class interconnection center that will facilitate business development across the Mediterranean and will connect Europe with the Middle East, Asia and Africa”.