The change in ownership is taking place in an area that has already been designated in planning documents as a priority for economic development. The municipality of Birr and the canton of Aargau have been driving the further development of Grossacher and Grändel since 2023. The collaboration is scheduled to run through 2027, and the supplemental plan for the area is part of the revised building and land-use code.
Green has acquired the approximately 250,000-square-meter Grossacher and Grändel site from ABB and plans to develop the location into a data center campus in phases. Additional space is also planned for industry and commerce, as well as publicly accessible green spaces. For Birr, this is more than just a land sale. An industrial site long held in reserve is thus being given a concrete development path.
From Reserve to Infrastructure
The area west of the railroad tracks is part of the Eigenamt economic development hub, which is of cantonal significance. The municipality had already identified Grossacher and Grändel in 2024 as an important step toward greater planning and investment certainty. The fact that a data center infrastructure operator is now coming on board increases the pressure to take the site’s development, energy supply, and marketing to the next level.
The scale of the project is remarkable. Since October 2026, Green has been seeking a project manager to oversee a large-scale strategic data center project involving multiple construction sites, central energy and site infrastructure, a planned capacity of approximately 300 megawatts, and an investment volume in the billions. The job posting does not explicitly name the location, but the description aligns with the announced phased campus development in Birr.
Waste Heat to Become a Location Factor
The project focuses on more than just additional computing power. Green aims to utilize the waste heat from the future data centers as process heat and also make it available for a district heating network. In addition, there is a cooling concept featuring closed-loop systems in which water circulates but is not consumed. For property owners, municipalities, and utility companies, it is precisely this integration that is crucial. The value of a data center location is increasingly measured by whether electricity procurement, grid connectivity, and heat utilization can be integrated into a local energy system.
It remains to be seen what specific industrial and commercial uses will be accommodated on the site alongside the data centers. According to the municipality of Birr, the potential analysis for the entire development area is intended to clarify issues related to utility connections, access to the train station, and marketing. While the land purchase marks a significant first step, the actual development of the site depends on the next planning and infrastructure steps.
