/Polarise Expands AI Capacity with New Factories in Germany
– Polarise to add 150 megawatts of AI capacity by 2028, enhancing Germany’s AI infrastructure.
– New facilities will be built in Bavaria, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia alongside existing operations.
– The German AI Association honors Polarise as a “Hidden Champion” for its contributions to AI development.
Polarise is set to significantly enhance its artificial intelligence capabilities in Germany, planning to increase its capacity by approximately 150 megawatts by the end of 2028. The company is expanding its existing facilities and establishing new AI factories in the regions of Bavaria, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia, which are either in the planning stages or already under construction. The first phase of this new capacity is expected to commence operations as early as early 2027, with further expansions planned throughout the year.
This investment aligns with the German federal government’s aim for at least a fourfold increase in AI computing capacity in Germany by the year 2030. However, lengthy planning and construction periods pose a challenge, as new projects on undeveloped land often take years to become operational. To mitigate these delays, Polarise is focusing on utilizing existing buildings, allowing for new capacity to connect to the grid within months.
In recognition of its efforts, the German AI Association (KI Bundesverband) has honored Polarise as a “Hidden Champion.” This award is designated for companies that make substantial contributions to Germany’s status as an AI hub, thereby supporting Europe’s digital sovereignty. During a recent meeting at the AI Village in Hürth near Cologne, the association praised Polarise for its swift development of sovereign AI infrastructure, which facilitates access to computing power for businesses in Germany under European regulations.
“In Germany, ‘hidden champions’ are traditionally the companies upon which entire industries are built,” stated Daniel Abbou, Managing Director of the German AI Association. “For AI, that means infrastructure, because without powerful and sovereign data centers, there can be no AI ‘Made in Germany.’ Polarise is building precisely this infrastructure – quickly and without sealing new land – making decisive progress in advancing Germany as an AI hub.”
Polarise is dedicated to transforming abandoned industrial and data center sites into state-of-the-art AI factories rather than constructing new facilities on undeveloped land. One notable example is the company’s work in Munich’s Tucherpark, where it repurposed a former bank data center into an operational AI facility in just six months. Central to Polarise’s operations are its modular AI Pods, self-sufficient data center units integrated into existing buildings. The cooling needs are met via the nearby Eisbach River, and future plans include utilizing waste heat to warm nearby neighborhoods.
Polarise also provides comprehensive solutions for sovereignty in AI, encompassing everything from its own data centers and bare-metal GPU capacity to the recently launched Polarise AI Cloud, which includes the AI assistant “Rise” and the inference platform “Drive.” This ecosystem allows customers to successfully develop and manage AI while adhering to European legal standards—all from a singular, cohesive platform.
“We want to be the company that Germany, as an AI hub, can rely on when it counts,” asserted Michel Boutouil, CEO of Polarise. “Our team took AI data centers from planning to operation in just a few months and, on top of that, launched our own cloud to ensure this computing power is truly available to organizations. This ‘Hidden Champion’ award belongs to everyone who made this possible – from the people who built the power and cooling systems, laid the cables, and wrote the code, to those who keep everything running behind the scenes. By the end of 2028, we’ll be ramping up our efforts and bringing approximately 150 megawatts of new AI capacity online in Germany. We’ve delivered – and we’ll do it again.”
Polarise is a European AI provider headquartered in Germany, specializing in integrated AI cloud services. The company runs efficient “AI Factory” data centers throughout Germany and Europe, offering businesses access to sovereign AI computing power through its proprietary AI Cloud.
