Google Kronstorf data center, Kronstorf, Upper Austria

Google is building its first data center in Austria in Kronstorf, in the Linz-Land district of Upper Austria, and broke ground on April 23, 2026. The first phase covers 42,000 square meters, 29,000 of them data center space, on a site Google bought about 18 years earlier, and groundwork had been under way since at least August 2025, DCD reported. The data center under construction is designed for a maximum of 150 megawatts, with a planned second stage of up to 500 megawatts, ORF reported.

In July 2026, only months after the groundbreaking, Google applied to the municipality and the Linz-Land district authority to build out the whole campus of about 50 hectares. Upper Austria's economy minister Markus Achleitner said the full build-out would raise the site's yearly power demand from 1.31 terawatt-hours to as much as 4.4, that Google would pay for its own grid connection, and that permits could be finished in the second half of 2027. The state calls it the largest single investment in Upper Austria's history, worth several billion euros. Google says the site will offer its waste heat free of charge once a taker is found, will have a green roof with solar panels, and will create 100 direct jobs.

Opposition has grown. On July 17, 2026, more than 200 people joined a protest near the construction site called by the citizens' group Bürgerinneninitiative Rechenzentrum Kronstorf, which wants all contracts disclosed and full reviews of noise, traffic and grid security, ORF reported. Critics point to the sealing of about 50 hectares of good farmland, the power demand, and cooling plans that would draw millions of cubic meters of water a year from wells and discharge much of it into the Enns River at up to 30 degrees Celsius. Upper Austria's Green environment minister Stefan Kaineder said the most fertile farmland was being paved over and that a project of this size should have an environmental impact assessment. After a review ordered by Kaineder, the state confirmed in September 2026 that its 2020 ruling that no environmental impact assessment is needed is final and covers both stages.

Kronstorf Mayor Christian Kolarik said Google bought the land 18 years ago for step-by-step development and that is now happening, and the town noted that all four parties on its council backed the needed decisions unanimously.