Data Centers in Enschede

Enschede – Strategic Interconnection for Dutch and German Markets

Executive Summary

Enschede serves as the primary technical gateway for enterprises requiring low-latency access to the eastern Netherlands and Germany’s industrial North Rhine-Westphalia region. It is a specialized market for industrial automation and high-stakes research that demands local data sovereignty and high uptime to maintain competitive speed.

Enschede: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: The market supports a focused ecosystem with over 15 carriers as of September 2025. While smaller than the major national hubs, the environment provides sufficient diversity for redundant routing and specific local peering requirements.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps: There are 0 direct on-ramps in this market as of September 2025, providing access to 0 local cloud regions. Most operators manage connectivity to AWS, Google Cloud (GCP), and Microsoft Azure through private network interfaces or dedicated waves to the Amsterdam peering hub.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): Peering largely occurs through private interconnects or via high-capacity extensions to national exchanges like AMS-IX. This setup ensures low-latency access to the broader European backbone without requiring a physical footprint in the capital.

Bare Metal: General availability is supported through regional providers and global specialists such as Leaseweb. This provides high-performance compute for workloads that do not require the overhead of virtualization.

Power Analysis

Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity is estimated at €0.19/kWh as of September 2025. This pricing reflects a stable energy market with a mix of approximately 40% renewables, 56% fossil fuels, and 4% nuclear as of September 2025.

Power Grid Reliability: The regional grid is well-engineered and supports data center corridors with multiple substation redundancies. This infrastructure provides the high level of uptime required for industrial and research-heavy applications.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers are positioned near the University of Twente and the Kennispark innovation district. This proximity provides direct support for high-tech startups and research institutions that require local, high-speed data processing.

Regional Market Reach: Enschede is a strategic gateway for the Overijssel region and provides an efficient entry point for the North Rhine-Westphalia industrial zone in Germany. It serves a cross-border population that values low-latency connectivity for manufacturing and logistics.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers: There are no specific tax incentives for data center operators in this jurisdiction. Standard fiscal policies offer a predictable financial environment that supports long-term infrastructure investment.

Natural Disaster Risk

The overall risk for Enschede is rated as Low (2.5/10) as of September 2025. The area is geographically stable with a limited number of significant natural threats.

• River Flood (8.6): The most prominent hazard requiring site-level mitigation and elevated infrastructure.
• Epidemic (3.1): Reflects national baseline levels for public health preparedness.
• Earthquake (1.8): Seismic activity is rare and typically low-magnitude in this region.
• Drought (0.5): Minimal impact on cooling or operational continuity.

As an inland location, coastal hazards are not considered material local risks. Other environmental factors are classified as minor as of September 2025.