Hochtief, the ACS-owned construction firm, and German cloud provider Yorizon have officially commenced construction on a new data center in Herne, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The facility is part of Yorizon’s 'Yexio' data center series and marks the company’s third project in the region, as well as its fourth in Germany overall.
The new data center in Herne is a vital step in Yorizon’s plan to complete its Germany West cloud region by 2027. This cloud region will include two additional facilities in Heiligenhaus and Bad Lippspringe, both also being developed by Hochtief. Construction on the Bad Lippspringe facility started in April 2025, with plans for completion in the summer of 2026. Once operational, it will offer 2MW of capacity. Meanwhile, the Heiligenhaus data center began construction in 2024 and is expected to launch in 2025.
In addition to these locations, Yorizon is expanding its presence in Bavaria with a fourth data center already under development.
The Herne facility will adopt environmentally friendly practices, including sustainable timber construction methods. Furthermore, it will be powered entirely by renewable energy and designed to share waste heat with the surrounding neighborhood once operational. These features reflect Yorizon’s commitment to sustainability as they expand their data center footprint in Germany and beyond.
Yorizon’s ambitions extend beyond the Germany West region. The company is planning five additional data center locations across the country and has also acquired land in Austria, with potential development near Graz. Future projects are also being considered in Switzerland.
Once construction of the Herne data center is completed, Yorizon will take over its management. Hochtief is collaborating with Palladio Partners, which is serving as an investment partner through the Palladio infrastructure fund. This partnership aims to develop up to 15 data centers under the Yexio brand. Yexio has previously been described as a spin-off of Hochtief PPP Solutions.
As Yorizon’s Germany West cloud region edges closer to completion, the Herne data center represents a significant milestone in their broader strategy to enhance cloud infrastructure across Europe.
