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Mainz welcomes state-of-the-art data center: 31 million euros for the future!
The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is opening a new, sustainable data center to modernize the university infrastructure.
Mainz welcomes state-of-the-art data center: 31 million euros for the future!
On August 25, 2025, the opening of a new data center on the Gutenberg campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) was celebrated. The ceremonial inauguration took place in the presence of Finance and Construction Minister Doris Ahnen, Science Minister Clemens Hoch and JGU President Prof. Dr. Georg Krausch instead. The construction of the data center took a total of two years and cost almost 31 million euros.
The new high-performance computing center represents an essential component of the university's IT infrastructure and supports, among other things, the National High Performance Computing (NHR). With a total area of 1,870 square meters, the building houses advanced technologies that meet the university's safety and performance requirements. Special features include highly efficient cooling systems, the use of waste heat and a photovoltaic system with a total output of 73 kWp.
Sustainability and efficient design
The planning of the data center was heavily influenced by aspects such as security and availability. For example, four predefined protection zones and a specialized access control system were integrated. The data center's PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) value is ≤ 1.15, indicating high energy efficiency. This is particularly relevant as data centers use up to 100 times more electricity than traditional office buildings, increasing both operating costs and CO₂ emissions accordingly [gbc-engineers.com reports that…].
The data center contains 32 server cabinets in the enterprise area and 112 server cabinets in the high performance computing (HPC) area, with a maximum of 84 of these cabinets being able to be in operation at the same time. The maximum IT load is 3,600 kW, and the move of the MOGON NHR South-West HPC cluster will save around 200,000 euros in electricity costs annually.
Technological innovations and art
A variety of innovative technologies were integrated into the design of the data center to minimize the environmental footprint. The sustainability measures include, among other things, rainwater management and the implementation of an energy management system. These aspects are in line with the recommendations for optimizing energy efficiency in data centers, which address the implementation of highly efficient cooling systems and effective air management [datacenter-group.com reports that ...].
In addition to the technical equipment, an art installation by Thorsten Goldberg adorns the roof of the data center. The sentence “I can see the whole room! … and there’s nobody in it!” symbolizes JGU's innovative and progressive approach to research and digitalization.
This new building not only modernizes the university infrastructure in Rhineland-Palatinate, but also represents a significant step towards a more sustainable and efficient digital future.