For centuries, few dared to venture along Norway’s dangerous coastline between Trondheim and Hammerfest. That all changed when the government invited operators to establish a regular route in 1891 and Captain Richard With took on the challenge.
Richard With had spent decades at sea and years confronting the challenges facing Norway’s shipping industry. It was that experience that gave him the confidence to navigate things differently. Two years later, DS Vesteraalen set out on its maiden voyage, marking the beginning of what would become Hurtigruten.
There is something in this story that resonates with us here at GreenScale: that you should use your experience to find a better way forward. Our team has spent decades in the data centre industry and, as its growth has accelerated, we have seen the challenges it poses, from water-intensive cooling and growing energy demand to pressure on local infrastructure. We understand the concerns surrounding the impact of data centres, and our experience gives us the confidence to do something about them: to start something of our own and build a different kind of data centre company.
That is why GreenScale was born: to consider not only what a data centre can deliver, but how it uses resources, how it fits into its surroundings and what it can contribute to the communities around it.
A new company led by a team of experts
GreenScale was founded in November 2024, has two campuses in development, and looks forward to operating its first campus soon. We are backed by the investment firm DTCP, which has extensive experience investing in and growing digital infrastructure businesses across Europe. This includes our sister company, maincubes, an established European data centre operator with 400 MW of capacity operational and in development across Frankfurt, Berlin, and Amsterdam.
Our management team have spent the past 30 years acquiring, building and operating more than 3 GW of data centres across Europe. Take, for example, our Chief Operating Officer, Ian Hammond, who in his last role was responsible for the smooth operation of 15 data centres. Or our Senior Director of Data Centre Operations, Pete Aynge, who has held senior operations and technical management positions at some of the biggest names in the industry.
That experience shapes not only how we operate our data centres, but how we design them. With much of a data centre’s sustainability performance determined at the design stage, this expertise is critical. Our VP Design, Colin Wyatt, has spent over twenty years designing data centres around Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.
When asked why they joined GreenScale, our staff often talk about wanting to do things differently, particularly when it comes to sustainability and how data centres are built. For our CTO, Jean-François “JF” Berche, that meant wanting to “build a new type of data centre company focused on sustainability” that his children “would be very proud of and would want to work for at some point in their career.”
The next generation of sustainable data centres
Data centres are the foundations on which modern life runs, supporting everything from banking and transport to public administration, cloud services and AI. As our reliance on the cloud and AI grows, so too does the need for the infrastructure that supports them. But we also recognise the impact data centres can have on the environment and the communities around them. Our purpose is to provide the digital capacity society needs while addressing those impacts from day one.
As our 12 sustainability commitments show, we are putting this into practice by investing in sustainable technologies, listening to local communities, and making long-term investments in the areas where we operate.
Site selection is one of the most important considerations for sustainability, which is why we chose Sirdal as the location for one of our flagship developments. In Tonstad, we have found a location that combines abundant renewable hydropower, resilient grid infrastructure, suitable land, strong connectivity and a naturally cool climate, all the qualities needed for the next generation of sustainable data centres. Just as importantly, we found a community where our presence can make a positive difference, bringing long-term investment into the region, creating new business opportunities and helping more young people build careers locally.
We are proud of the experience GreenScale is built on, but we know that experience alone is not enough. Trust in Tonstad will be built through the choices we make, the infrastructure we deliver and, most importantly, the positive and lasting impact we have in the local community.
As we approach our second anniversary, we look forward to continuing to bring our vision for sustainable digital infrastructure to life. In Tonstad, that means building a data centre that sets a higher standard for how digital infrastructure uses resources responsibly, works with its neighbours and contributes to the local economy.