A distinctive data center in the Italian Alps is poised to coexist with dolomite extraction operations and quarries that house apples, wine, and cheeses. Construction commenced this month at the San Romedio mine in Trento, Italy, for Intacture, a 5MW facility expected to accommodate about 1,000 racks. Intacture is slated to provide colocation services beginning in 2026.

This initiative is the outcome of a partnership between the University of Trento and the tech firm Trentino DataMine. The data center, which is estimated to cost around 50 million euros, receives partial funding from the nation’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).

Participants and industry specialists have shared their insights on the project, discussing its potential repercussions for other data centers, whether they are located above or below ground.

While the Intacture facility is touted as the world’s first data center situated within an active mine, the industry has previously directed its focus underground, noted Alan Howard, principal analyst of cloud and colocation services at OMDIA. He referenced instances such as the Green Mountain data center in Rennesoy, Norway, the Bahnhof data center in Stockholm, and the underground Iron Mountain data center in the United States.

However, Howard noted that such projects remain uncommon due to the necessary infrastructure requirements, including roads, electricity, water, and facility management capabilities.

When the right conditions are fulfilled, underground facilities can offer significant benefits compared to their above-ground alternatives. According to Howard, these facilities boast “a combination of constant, year-round low ambient temperature resulting in free cooling… and being naturally sheltered from severe weather and natural disaster scenarios,” making underground data centers potentially both cost-effective and energy-efficient.

For instance, Iron Mountain’s data center located in Pennsylvania is situated in a former limestone quarry that utilizes a large underground lake, which does not draw from the local community system, as shared by Chris Pennington, the company’s director of energy and sustainability.

Pennington added, “The effectiveness of utilizing the lake helped the site become the first underground facility in the US to receive an Energy Star Certification.”

When discussing the San Romedio mine, Roberto Loro, a member of the Trentino DataMine board, highlighted the significant advantages of situating a data center deep underground.

“It provides optimal physical safety, mitigating seismic and hydrogeological threats,” Loro stated to Data Center Knowledge. He also mentioned that underground facilities can achieve “energy savings exceeding 25% compared to the European average and as high as 40% relative to Mediterranean nations. The underground structure significantly minimizes land usage, with over 80% of the facilities situated within the mine.”

Another innovative aspect of the forward-looking Intacture facility is the collaborative approach of the project, as explained by Flavio Deflorian, the rector of the University of Trento.

“The initiation of this project through a public-private partnership poses a challenge for the academic system – it tests its capacity for adaptability and its responsiveness to the demands of both the local community and the corporate sector,” he remarked. As Deflorian elaborated to Data Center Knowledge, the university’s involvement extends beyond the research that the data center intends to support; it also encompasses the roles of a promoter and facilitator of innovation and development.

“Our objective is to facilitate a conversation between the industrial marketplace and the realm of research, aiming to discover innovative solutions that are destined for future market application,” remarked a representative from Trentino DataMine. Though construction on Intacture is currently in its initial phase, the technology firm is already envisioning the data center as a potential green hub for innovation—not just for the region, but for the whole country.

“The facility has the potential to evolve and offer services that extend beyond traditional colocation. The University of Trento, along with the research ecosystem in the Trentino area, will utilize the facility for various research initiatives,” they added.

The Intacture data center is engineered for a maximum power capacity of 5MW and is set to accommodate around 1,000 racks. “While this may not suffice for the large-scale deployments typically associated with hyperscalers,” noted Howard from Omdia, “I believe the project will thrive as a valuable resource for local patrons.”

“Certainly, there is fiber connectivity in the region, which should link data centers to those in Milan,” he stated, emphasizing its potential to offer clients expansive global network access.

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