Schwarz Group and the state government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern announced a partnership in Schwerin on August 27, 2026, that pairs a large data-center build with sovereign software for the state’s public administration. The companies of Schwarz Group aim to invest up to 5.6 billion euros by 2033 in a data center. Subject to approvals, the site is expected to reach 240 megawatts by that year, with a possible path to a 1 gigawatt grid connection by 2045.

The location under review is the industrial park in Dummerstorf, near Rostock. Schwarz points to northern Germany’s wind power, a possible tie-in to the 380-kilovolt extra-high-voltage grid, and cooler air that favors free cooling. A letter of intent with Rostock’s public utility would put waste heat into municipal heating. Regular operations are meant to run only on renewable electricity. Chip choices for the cloud and AI racks are not finished. The project is still early.

STACKIT, OpenDesk, and a German-law cloud

The compute is meant first for Schwarz’s own ecosystem, then for the sovereign IT products grouped under Schwarz Digits. Minister-President Manuela Schwesig said the state wants to depend less on foreign data-center, cloud, and AI vendors, and called the investment a chance for more independence and data security.

By the end of 2026, the partners say they will put two flagship applications into the state’s administration: digital building permits on the STACKIT sovereign cloud, and OpenDesk for managed teacher workstations. They present those jobs as a template other German states could copy.

“Digital sovereignty is not created by appeals or speeches. It is created by action, by reliable infrastructure, and by practical applications.” Gerd Chrzanowski, general partner, Schwarz Group

Decoded Take

A grocery empire writing a 5.6 billion euro data-center check is Europe trying to build sovereign capacity with a balance sheet that already exists, rather than waiting for another subsidized startup campus. 240 megawatts by 2033 is a real site if permits and grid work hold. It is also a long timeline in a market that prices racks in the next 18 months. The more immediate test is the 2026 software: whether STACKIT building permits and OpenDesk teacher machines actually replace whatever the state runs today. If those ship, Schwarz Digits becomes a public-sector vendor with a megawatt story attached. If they slip, the announcement stays a map held up at a press conference.