A data centre unique in Italy and among the very few in the world will be built in Trentino. And where, if not inside the mountains? One of the natural resources that most contributes wealth to the territory is also showing its potential in the field of digital innovation.

In the heart of the Tassullo mine in Val di Non there will be a 'green' data centre, which will benefit from all the ideal conditions offered by the underground environment to develop the most modern ICT services, including artificial intelligence, high performance computing, edge computing, cybersecurity and quantum cryptography.

The initiative, which is part of PNRR Mission 4 'Education and Research - From Research to Enterprise', is the result of an agreement between the University of Trento and Trentino companies Covi Costruzioni, Dedagroup, GPI and Isa. This public-private partnership has led to the creation of an enterprise called Trentino Data Mine, which represents the first step towards the creation of the green data centre, destined to become a real reference point at European level.

A unique data centre in Italy

Why in the heart of the mountain

The spacious underground environment of the Tassullo mine, protected under hundreds of metres of live rock, will guarantee the data centre:

• constant temperature
• protection from electromagnetic pollution
• data security 
• protection from natural events
• energy saving 
• soil saving
• reduction of carbon dioxide emissions
• possibility of using energy from renewable sources

A 50 million euro project

The project will last 36 months and cost 50.2 million euro, of which 18.4 million will be financed by public resources and about 31.8 million by private resources. The largest part of the investment (about 18 million) will be reserved for the construction of the technical installations in the mine. The return on investment is expected within 15 years from the start of the project (2023-2037).

Research and business: the components of the project

Research and business are the two elements that distinguish the Trentino Data Mine project.

The strong inclination towards scientific research is given first and foremost by the role of the University of Trento, which is the project leader and scientific manager, but also by the partnerships that have been put in place. An important research role has been entrusted to the Bruno Kessler Foundation and EIT Digital, public bodies with high competence in the ICT sector. In addition, the Trentino Innovation Hub Foundation and Trentino Sviluppo, organisations with a vocation for technological innovation, were also involved.

The entrepreneurial connotation lies, on the other hand, in the interest of the member companies and in the project's purpose of becoming an "innovation ecosystem" together with other public and private entities. In fact, the data centre wants to act as a reference point for all those who need to manage and store their data and receive support in the various phases of the innovation cycle in an open source logic.

The intentions of the operation also include attracting international investment, given the promising market for cloud services, big data management and cybersecurity.