Construction has officially begun on the new facility for the Erlangen National High-Performance Computing Center (NHR@FAU). A ceremonial groundbreaking marked the start of work on the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) South Campus, where a new state-of-the-art high-performance computing complex will be built by the end of 2029.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place on May 21, 2026, at Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße and was attended by prominent representatives from politics, academia, and public administration. Among the speakers were Markus Blume, Bavarian State Minister of Science and the Arts; Joachim Herrmann, Bavarian State Minister of the Interior; Jörg Volleth, Mayor of Erlangen; as well as representatives of FAU and the state building authority.
The new NHR@FAU facility will occupy a site of approximately 5,000 square meters and will include both a cutting-edge data center and modern office spaces. Designed as a high-performance, energy-efficient research infrastructure, it will support world-leading research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, simulation, and big data. The new high-performance computing center is set to establish new benchmarks in computational performance and sustainability. Advanced building technologies will significantly reduce energy consumption while minimizing CO₂ emissions. Combined with an innovative excess heat reuse system, the facility is expected to save up to 16,500 tons of CO₂ annually—equivalent to the average yearly energy demand of approximately 5,500 households.
As part of Bavaria’s Hightech Agenda, the Free State of Bavaria is investing more than €220 million in the expansion of the site’s IT infrastructure. Erlangen is already one of the leading HPC centers at German universities. With the start of construction, FAU and the Free State of Bavaria are taking another major step toward establishing Erlangen and Northern Bavaria as a leading international hub for digital innovation, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence research.
NHR@FAU employees look forward to continuing to support researchers as trusted partners, providing them with comprehensive services and expertise under one roof.
