Upper Austria is getting Google's first data center in Austria, on farmland at Kronstorf in the Linz-Land district. Google bought the site in 2008 and left it undeveloped for 18 years; of the roughly 70 hectares it acquired, about 20 were later given back, SOLID reported. Ground was broken on 23 April 2026 with Governor Thomas Stelzer present, and the first phase, of up to 150 megawatts, is due to open in 2027 with about 100 permanent jobs. In July Google filed plans for further phases covering the whole 50-hectare site, up to 500 megawatts in all according to the company. If fully built, it could use as much electricity each year as up to 900,000 households, the grid operator Austrian Power Grid estimated; the province has about 676,000, ORF reported. Profil reported that Google holds a grid access commitment for up to 3.5 terawatt-hours a year, about a quarter of Upper Austria's use. Cooling will draw groundwater from wells near the Enns, and the water permit lets Google discharge up to 5.8 million litres a day of warmed water into the river at up to 30°C.
Every party on Kronstorf's council voted for the project, but resistance grew once the expansion was public. More than 200 people demonstrated at the site on 17 July, ORF reported, and later about 20 activists climbed a building on the site to demand a halt to construction. Data centers are not covered by Austria's environmental impact assessment law, so the project has had no single review. "Projects of this size should be subjected to an environmental impact assessment before any approval," said the province's Green environment councillor, Stefan Kaineder. Harald Müllner of the Kronstorf citizens' initiative said: "Austria cannot simply conjure up the electricity." Economy councillor Markus Achleitner called Google's arrival "a clear international vote of confidence in our province." A provincial law in force since 1 April 2026 requires data centers above one megawatt to use their waste heat where technically and economically possible; Google says talks with possible users are under way.
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Upper Austria1
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google KronstorfKronstorf | Under construction | 150 MW |
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