Microsoft plans two data centers outside Cologne

Microsoft is to build two data centers near Cologne as part of a major German investment program. The company is developing data centers in Bergheim and Bedburg, two towns to the west of Cologne in the Rhein-Erft district.

"The establishment of a hyperscale data center campus from Microsoft is an absolute game changer for our city, the region, and the Rhineland region. With this establishment, through a team effort from our three cities, we are bringing a completely new technology infrastructure to our region that simply did not exist here before. The cloud is at home in these data centers, a technology that we all - whether companies, administration, schools, or the health care system - rely on every day," said Bedburg Mayor Sascha Solbach.

Microsoft announced plans to launch cloud regions in Germany in 2018, with the Germany West Central Azure region becoming widely available in early 2021. The cloud region, when announced, was hosted in three separate data centers. The company also has the Germany North Azure region, though this is listed as "not supported," and is paired with the West Central region.