Kickstart Europe 2026 Amsterdam

Great to be back from Kickstart Europe in Amsterdam!

Together with my new colleague Alexa Loehr we spent inspiring days and evenings filled with valuable conversations, new connections and insightful discussions around the future of digital infrastructure and data center investments across Europe and beyond.

Key takeways – the momentum in our sector has never been stronger:

𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆
The industry is facing a timing paradox: planning and construction cycles are stretching to 3-5 years, while hardware generations now turn over in 18 months or less. Add to this the widening density gap – AI workloads requiring 50-100 kW per rack versus 5-10 kW for traditional infrastructure – and the challenge becomes clear. The solution is not a single facility type, but a diversified portfolio strategy. Operators need to balance specialized AI-optimized sites with flexible hybrid facilities, all while maintaining the agility to pivot as technology evolves. Success requires both strategic foresight in development planning and architectural flexibility in execution.

𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 – 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿-𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲
Energy has undoubtedly become a critical site selection factor, and we are seeing new capacity emerge in power-rich regions. But let us be clear: the strategic importance of established tier-one locations remains unchanged. Connectivity ecosystems, network density, and proximity to enterprise customers still matter enormously. The future is not either/or. We’ll see continued investment in traditional hubs (if power can be secured) alongside new developments in energy-advantaged locations. Geography is becoming more nuanced, not less relevant.

𝗦𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆
Data sovereignty is moving from policy discussion to investment reality. Governments and enterprises are demanding local cloud capacity and reduced dependency on non-European providers. This is creating compelling opportunities for neo-clouds and operators who can serve national requirements while meeting hyperscaler-grade standards.

Thank you to everyone we had the pleasure of meeting at Kickstart Europe, especially our partners from Opus Construction GmbH. Looking forward to continuing these conversations and supporting our clients as they build the digital infrastructure that will power Europe’s next chapter.