Checklist for prospective investors
Key takeaways:
Italy’s broader data centre potential
Italy’s overall data centre capacity has reached 513 MW IT, a 17% annual rise, driven by hyperscaler expansions and the swelling demand for cloud services.⁸ While still smaller than Northern Virginia (2,552 MW),⁹ Dallas (654 MW),¹⁰ or Silicon Valley (615 MW),¹¹ Milan is now recognised as Europe’s prime alternative to the congested FLAP-D markets. The surge in energy costs, carbon constraints, and labour shortages is limiting growth in those core centres. Milan promises cleaner and cheaper power supply, stable PPAs, and a lower overall labour cost. Local authorities encourage sustainable construction, further bolstering the city’s investment case.
So, what can high-tech clients do?
How do you build in resilience in a highly competitive, fast-moving, talent-scarce global economy?
▼ Swipe to read the checklists.
1
Site selection and connectivity
Check for robust fibre networks and renewable energy sources. Build in redundancy for uptime. Failure here means more downtime and higher operating costs. An experienced consultant will perform an in-depth feasibility analysis to looking at everything from land costs to local infrastructure to help you select a site that balances cost, resilience, and growth potential. By designing redundancy strategies, they can also limit downtime risks and improve your long-term operating profile.
2
Regulatory and permit planning
Consult with legal advisers from the outset to manage timelines and avoid penalties. This precaution prevents legal complications and stalled projects.
3
Making the most of incentives
Tap into grants, tax credits, and sustainability schemes. A shrewd approach to these incentives can lift returns and sharpen your competitive edge. However, incentives often require specific documentation, project structuring, or timelines. A knowledgeable partner knows how to identify applicable programmes, handle the paperwork, and make sure the project’s design meets all qualifying criteria, potentially boosting returns and reducing capital outlay.
4
Workforce strategy
Seek out transferable skills. Many construction projects will require similar and transferable skills and experience to those required in high-tech, for example, large industrial projects; hospitals; healthcare and pharmaceutical builds. Contractors and skilled tradespeople working in these sectors may have greater availability and may be open to taking on a high-tech project.
5
Scalability and future-proofing
Adopt modular designs and anticipate jumps in user demand. Building flexibility in at the start can avoid refits that pinch profits later on. By bringing in technical experts early, you can design scalable options (power, cooling, rack space) that won’t require major structural overhauls. An outside advisor can also provide cost modelling for multiple growth scenarios, so you can see how expansions might affect everything from energy consumption to workforce needs—well before you break ground.
For more on our advice to managing labour shortages, check out our 2025 Global Cost Report - Adapting to uncertainty in 2025.
8 LineaEDP: Data Center: investimenti in crescita in Italia. Milano +34%
9 Virginia Business: JLL: NoVa is still nation’s top data center market
10 Texas Standard: Data centers are booming in Texas. What does that mean for the grid?
11 CBRE: Silicon Valley Ranks Seventh for North American Data Center Leasing in 2023