Berlin, March 27, 2026 – The Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have announced the official kick-off for a new Data and AI Centre in Berlin-Adlershof. This foundational project is set to establish a scalable and sovereign data infrastructure for the capital, significantly bolstering the scientific capabilities of Berlin’s research community and contributing to research security, resilience, and technological independence.
Foundation for Data-Driven Research
The increasing volume of data in various research fields, including materials, energy, and health, necessitates rapid, reliable, and secure processing. Concurrently, the demands for protecting sensitive research data and ensuring secure IT infrastructures are escalating. In response, HZB and ZIB are intensifying their collaboration, formalized by an agreement to establish this cutting-edge data centre. Over the coming years, this initiative will build a regionally anchored, competitive infrastructure across institutional boundaries, designed to strengthen data-driven research in Berlin.
Phased Development and Advanced Technologies
The data centre will be constructed in several stages, meticulously adapted to the specific needs of Berlin’s scientific community. The plan incorporates HPC- and AI-optimized technologies that seamlessly integrate high-performance computing (HPC), data management, and AI applications. A key objective is to maintain maximum flexibility, allowing these areas to be utilized across a diverse range of applications.
- Phase 1 (from 2026/2027): Consolidation and operation of infrastructure at ZIB in Berlin-Dahlem on behalf of the partners. Simultaneously, a new operational site with expanded hardware will be established at the HZB Berlin-Adlershof location.
- Phase 2 (from 2029/2030): Introduction of additional computing capacities, contingent on the evolving needs of the scientific community.
A significant focus of the project is on sustainability. Components such as computers, storage, networking, and cooling systems will be selected based on their sustainability credentials and operational reliability. Furthermore, there are plans to collaborate with local energy suppliers to utilize the waste heat generated by the data centre.
Official Statements and Strategic Importance
Dr. Ina Czyborra, Senator for Science, Health and Care, emphasized the significance of this development: “With the new data centre, two strong partners are creating the digital power infrastructure that modern cutting-edge research needs today. In materials, health, and climate research in particular, data usage and processing are essential and of ever-increasing importance. The data centre meets this growing demand whilst simultaneously strengthening the technological independence and resilience of our research hub. The approach taken by HZB and ZIB to create synergies by sharing resources is not only economically sound, but also a further example of Berlin’s research policy in action. Innovations such as these are driving us forward decisively in AI and data-intensive research – and strengthening our position in the international competition for the brightest minds.”
Professor Christof Schütte, President of ZIB, highlighted the alignment with ZIB’s vision: “The new Data, Compute and AI Centre is closely linked to the Zuse Institute Berlin’s vision of further developing modelling, AI and high-performance computing as the foundation of modern science. Here, a collaborative infrastructure for data-intensive cutting-edge research is being established, one that relies on powerful, flexible and secure operating models. It represents a strategic investment in Berlin’s scientific excellence.”
Professor Bernd Rech, HZB’s Scientific Director, underscored the centre’s impact on materials science: “Together with the ZIB, we are laying the foundations for the next generation of data-driven materials science. High-performance computing and AI-supported methods open up new avenues for predicting material properties and significantly accelerating innovation. The collaboration also strengthens the IT infrastructure at our BESSY II light source and paves the way for our planned successor source, BESSY III.”
The establishment of this data and AI centre marks a pivotal step in reinforcing Berlin’s position as a leading hub for scientific research and technological innovation.
Source: https://www.adlershof.de/en/news/kick-off-for-the-new-data-and-ai-centre-at-hzb-in-adlershof
