Data centers: Critical tech infrastructure under threat

"Dietzenbach is a small German town with a population of around 35,000. Locally, it is best known for its open-air forest swimming pool and an architecturally unusual observation tower from which, on a clear day, you can see Frankfurt, some 12 kilometers (7 miles) away. Its location is probably one of the main reasons why the US tech giant Google chose to invest several billion dollars in a new, high-performance data center."

"The greater Frankfurt area is one of the most important data center regions in Europe. DE-CIX Frankfurt is the world's leading internet exchange. At peak times, it handles more than 17 terabits of data traffic. This equates to the amount of data processed if almost 3.5 million people streamed a high-definition film simultaneously. Seventy-six such data centers are already operating in the greater Frankfurt region."

"The internet is now an indispensable part of modern global society, and becoming ever more so. The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, in particular, demands greater volumes of data. Massive server capacity is required to process and store this data and enable the smooth operation of cloud services and internet applications. Consequently, data centers are the backbone of the modern internet."

"They are also fundamentally significant for the national security of modern industrialized countries, whose economies and societies could barely function without them. Essential procedures for the provision of power and health systems, financial management, transport logistics and many other services are processed through these internet exchanges. This is why data centers in Germany are classified as part of the country's critical infrastructure and afforded special protection."

Dietzenbach is a small German town of about 35,000 people, known for an open-air forest swimming pool and an unusual observation tower with views of Frankfurt on clear days. The town’s location helps explain why Google invested several billion dollars in a high-performance data center there. The greater Frankfurt area is a leading European data center region, home to DE-CIX Frankfurt, the world’s leading internet exchange. At peak times, DE-CIX handles more than 17 terabits of data traffic. Data centers are essential for processing and storing growing volumes of data, supporting cloud services and internet applications, and underpinning national security and critical services such as power, health systems, financial management, and transport logistics. In Germany, data centers are treated as critical infrastructure and receive special protection.

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