Advocating for additional data centers to strengthen digital autonomy within Germany, Bitkom voiced its standpoint.
Germany Pushes for Stronger Digital Infrastructure with Bitkom Action Plan
Germany is making strides towards a more digitally sovereign and resilient future, as the digital business association Bitkom has presented an action plan for powerful and sustainable data centers. The plan highlights the importance of data centers in supporting companies, private households, and public administration, and emphasizes the need for a strong and powerful IT infrastructure.
According to the plan, Germany's current IT connection capacity of 2.7 gigawatts lags behind leading nations like the USA (48 gigawatts) and China (38 gigawatts). This gap in capacity is a concern for Bitkom, as data centers are essential for Germany's digital sovereignty.
To address this issue, Bitkom proposes a series of measures. The association suggests revising the regulatory framework, including harmonizing German special ways with European framework conditions. Bitkom also emphasizes the importance of creating suitable sites for data centers and incorporating them into regional development strategies. Municipalities are seen as potential opportunities for data center development.
Moreover, the plan focuses on making Germany's data center approval procedures more efficient. Bitkom proposes a simplification, digitization, and acceleration of these procedures, aiming to reduce the significant time lag in planning and approval compared to the EU average.
The federal government has recognized the need for a data center strategy, and political awareness is growing. Federal ministers recognize the importance of data centers and the need for supportive policies, including tax relief measures and energy cost reduction, to enable more sustainable and expanded data center capacity.
Related initiatives emphasize reducing electricity costs for data centers as critical for growth and sustainability in Germany’s digital economy. The eco association and other stakeholders advocate for electricity price subsidies and strategies to strengthen digital infrastructure sustainability and economic competitiveness.
Bitkom's action plan is available for free download, and it is a step towards a more sustainable and competitive digital future for Germany. The plan is part of a broader cross-sector strategy needed to strengthen Germany's digital infrastructure, as a strong IT infrastructure is crucial for the country's digital sovereignty and resilience.
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- To bolster Germany's digital sovereignty, Bitkom's action plan underscores the necessity of a robust IT infrastructure, encompassing data-and-cloud-computing technology.
- In order to expedite the development of data centers, Bitkom encourages municipalities to provide suitable sites for these facilities and integrate them into regional development strategies.
