Data Centers in Bologna

Bologna – The Resilient Digital Bridge to Northern Italy

Bologna is the primary strategic alternative to Milan for enterprises requiring low-latency access to Italy's industrial and automotive heartland. By establishing a presence here, businesses secure a sturdy redundant site that serves the Emilia-Romagna region without the overhead of the primary Milan metro.

Bologna: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: Carrier count: ~15–20 carriers as of September 2025. The market provides a mix of national incumbents and regional fiber specialists, allowing for diverse path requirements and multi-homed configurations.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps: 0 as of September 2025, enabling access to 0 cloud regions. No hyperscale on-ramps are physically located in Bologna. Local operators provide high-speed private extensions to the Milan hub to reach AWS, Google Cloud (GCP), and Microsoft Azure.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): The Bologna Internet eXchange (BOIX) serves as the primary local peering point for efficient regional traffic exchange. Most high-volume peering still gravitates to larger exchanges in Milan for broader international reach.

Bare Metal: Sturdy bare metal options are available through global specialists like Hivelocity or Latitude.sh. These services support high-performance computing for the research and industrial sectors in the area.

Power Analysis

Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity ranges from €0.21 – €0.25/kWh, as of September 2025. These rates reflect the broader Italian energy market, making high-efficiency cooling and modern hardware essential for maintaining competitive operating margins.

Power Grid Reliability: The local grid is well-engineered to support the city's heavy industrial and academic research base. Data center corridors typically benefit from redundant feeds and multi-substation support to ensure consistent uptime.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers are positioned to serve the Motor Valley and surrounding manufacturing hubs. This proximity is critical for IoT and edge computing applications where physical distance directly impacts production efficiency.

Regional Market Reach: Bologna is a central transport hub, making it an ideal distribution point for digital services across Northern and Central Italy. It effectively serves a population of several million within the Emilia-Romagna region.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers: Italy offers specific subsidies for energy-efficient systems that directly benefit operators upgrading their power chain. These incentives help offset regional electricity costs for sustainable operations.

Natural Disaster Risk

Bologna carries a Low (3.0/10) risk profile as of September 2025. While the overall rating is favorable, facility operators must account for specific regional hazards to ensure long-term resilience.

• Earthquake (7.7): Seismic activity is the primary concern for the region, requiring facilities built to strict structural standards.
• River Flood (6.2): Some areas are susceptible to flooding from local river systems during intense precipitation.
• Drought (2.8): Periodically impacts regional resource management but rarely affects primary infrastructure operations.
• Epidemic (1.9): Managed through national health protocols with minimal impact on data center stability.

Tsunami and coastal flooding risks are indirect regional factors that do not materially impact the inland Bologna metro area. Other natural hazards are considered minor or not listed for this location.