Digital Realty has inaugurated its first data center in Heraklion, Crete, which aims to support the interconnection of international, regional, and local subsea cables.
Named HER1, the facility is composed of prefabricated modules built by Schneider Electric. These include two 500kW data halls and two power modules housing medium voltage equipment, transformers, UPS units, and air cooling systems. The center has an initial capacity of 1MW, with the potential to expand up to 5MW.
The HER1 facility is the first carrier-neutral data center in Crete, meaning it allows for the interconnection of multiple telecommunications carriers and colocation providers, thus helping reduce the digital infrastructure gap in Southern Europe.
At the launch event, company officials highlighted HER1’s role in complementing Digital Realty’s operations in Marseille and enhancing interconnectivity with markets such as Athens, Barcelona, Rome, and Tel Aviv. HER1 is also part of the company’s Mediterranean platform and contributes to enabling cloud, telecom, and content delivery services.
Crete currently hosts several cable landing points, including the AAE-1, Blue, MedNautilus, and Silphium subsea systems, with Vodafone recently landing the IEX cable at Tympakios. As a carrier-neutral facility, HER1 is designed to integrate with these networks.
Digital Realty has three existing data centers in Athens and is developing two more—Athens 4, which is under construction and expected to become operational in 2025, and Athens 5, currently in the planning phase. The HER1 project forms part of Digital Realty’s wider investment in Greece, estimated at €450 million.
The launch event was attended by executives from Digital Realty and Schneider Electric, as well as representatives from the Greek government and local authorities.
