Frequently asked questions about the Denmark datacenters
What is a datacenter and why do we need them?
The cloud is an engine that powers our daily lives. From remote work to online shopping, we increasingly depend on cloud computing. Hundreds of Microsoft datacenters around the world facilitate that activity, storing and managing data with sophisticated physical and logical security measures that control who and what has access to the cloud. Take a virtual step inside a datacenter to learn how the Microsoft Cloud works.
Why are you planning to build a datacenter region in Denmark?
We intend to build scalable and resilient infrastructure to support the needs of commercial customers in Denmark, and will have more to share about the details of our datacenter region in the future. Learn more about Microsoft’s global infrastructure.
These investments will enhance our ability to support our customers’ digital transformation and bring the benefits of customer data residency in Denmark to all sectors, including regulated industries such a financial services, healthcare, and public sector. Today, Microsoft offers customers a range of innovative regional Microsoft cloud services to enable their businesses to move faster and achieve more. The new datacenter region will offer the same enterprise-grade reliability and performance combined with customer data residency and reduced latency in Denmark. This provides our customers trusted cloud services that help them meet local compliance and policy requirements.
Do you have a timeline for when you will start building?
In Roskilde we will start our activities early April.
Expected duration:
- Site Set-up/Enabling/Earthworks ~4 Months
- Construction/Fitout/Commissioning ~14.5 Months, followed by handover to Operations
For other sites we’re currently in the process of zoning and permitting and we’re starting the detailed planning from there. When we have more details to share on timelines, we’ll publish them here, on this website.
What impact will the new datacenter region have on the local economy?
Microsoft announced in December 2020 the most significant investment in the company’s 30-year history in Denmark, introducing Denmark as the location for its next sustainable datacenter region and a comprehensive skilling commitment for an estimated 200,000 Danes by 2024. Powered by 100 percent renewable energy, the datacenter region will provide Danish customers of all sizes faster access to the Microsoft Cloud, world-class security, and the ability to store data at rest in the country.
In our experience we also see that local datacenter infrastructure supports and stimulates economic development for both customers and partners alike, enabling companies, governments, and regulated industries to realize the benefits of the cloud for innovation and new projects, as well as bolstering the technology ecosystem that supports these projects.
Does Microsoft pursue the use of renewable energy as part of its operations?
Microsoft recognizes the urgent need to act on sustainability and we have announced ambitious plans focusing on carbon, water, ecosystems, and waste.
- By 2030, Microsoft will be carbon negative, and by 2050 Microsoft will remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975, inclusive of our datacenter operations. Learn more.
- By 2025, we will shift to 100 percent supply of renewable energy, meaning that we will have power purchase agreements for green energy contracted for 100 percent of carbon emitting electricity consumed by all our datacenters. Learn more.
- By 2030, we’re aiming to eliminate our dependency on diesel fuel. Learn more.
- By 2030, Microsoft will replenish more water than it consumes on a global basis. Learn more.
- By 2030, our goal is to achieve zero waste for Microsoft’s direct operations, products and packaging. Learn more.
How do Microsoft’s cloud services compare on energy efficiency to businesses running their own datacenters?
Microsoft’s cloud services offer customers an energy efficient alternative to running their own private datacenters. According to an analysis by Microsoft in partnership with WSP, Microsoft Cloud services can be as much as 93 percent more energy efficient than traditional enterprise datacenters. We continue to focus on R&D for efficiency and renewable energy and will also launch a new data-driven circular cloud initiative using the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor performance and streamline our reuse, resale and recycling of datacenter assets, including servers. Learn more.