The model transforms data centers into sustainable energy components, focusing on energy integration, waste heat recovery, water optimization, and regional economic benefits, while providing frameworks for demand response and cross-sector planning to enhance sustainability outcomes.

The framework promotes fair competition in digital infrastructure markets by transforming closed ecosystems into open marketplaces, enabling regional providers to compete, ensuring digital sovereignty, and integrating environmental performance metrics while supporting local economic development.

A Regional Digital Capacity Planning Tool helps policymakers forecast digital infrastructure needs through 2045, providing sector-specific insights and aligning with economic strategies to optimize resource allocation and reduce costs while supporting technological advancements like AI.

The Digital Resource Efficiency Optimization Model helps policymakers maximize economic impact of digital infrastructure while minimizing energy use, revealing that improving software efficiency can significantly reduce infrastructure needs and costs, ultimately achieving digitalization goals with less resource consumption.

The Digital Sovereignty Assessment Matrix helps policymakers evaluate and enhance control over digital infrastructure, focusing on data, operational, infrastructure, and citizen sovereignty. It provides a comprehensive risk evaluation, strategic options, and governance models to balance autonomy with global integration, ultimately strengthening regional resilience and economic security.

The analysis reveals that strategic value capture from digital infrastructure investments can significantly enhance economic returns, creating up to 140 jobs per Megawatt and increasing tax revenues, thus transforming data centers into economic engines rather than mere resource consumers.

The Digital Ecosystem Development Framework helps regions maximize economic benefits from data center investments by integrating them with IT services, potentially creating 35-140 jobs per MW and increasing tax revenues significantly. Traditional approaches often fail to capture the full potential, but this framework offers tailored models and strategic guidance for sustainable growth.

A forecasting tool helps policymakers project digital resource needs for various sectors through 2045, aiding in strategic infrastructure planning, investment attraction, energy planning, workforce development, and smart specialization strategies to enhance regional economic growth and sustainability.

The SDIA conducted a novel analysis exploring the untapped potential of partnerships between energy utilities and data centers. This forward-looking report identifies significant opportunities for collaboration in an era where both industries face transformative challenges.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) commissioned a comprehensive study to analyze the current state and development potential of data centers in Germany as part of their strategic planning for digital infrastructure. As part of a consortium led by the German Energy Agency (dena) the SDIA supported the creation of a comprehensive analysis.

As digital infrastructure continues to expand across Europe, North Holland emerges as a pioneering region in sustainable data center development. Through innovative policy frameworks and strategic partnerships, the region has created a unique approach to managing data center growth while ensuring environmental accountability and local economic benefits. This case study examines how North Holland's model combines zoning strategies, sustainability requirements, and public transparency to create a blueprint for responsible digital infrastructure development.

Leitmotiv, an independent think-tank, focuses on operationalizing values in the digital future by raising awareness, empowering policymakers, and creating knowledge for digital products and technologies. Contact Max Schulze for press inquiries.