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The battle for the future of European AI starts in the data center

Volt is building sovereign AI compute for all of Europe from the Netherlands, using NorthC’s data centers. That is badly needed, because by current estimates more than 75 percent of the world’s AI compute infrastructure is in the US, compared with just 5 percent in Europe. Founder and CEO Han de Groot was looking for a data center partner with enough scale, cooling and power for heavy AI clusters, and one that is fully European.

AI has become indispensable for strengthening our economy, driving innovation and tackling societal challenges. That requires reliable, powerful infrastructure. This infrastructure is the engine behind every successful digital transformation. The debate around data centers and AI often focuses on the preconditions, but what it really comes down to is a balance between responsible data center facilities and securing our economic and technological future. This foundation will ultimately determine how much control Europe retains over its own capacity to innovate and its digital sovereignty.

By current estimates, more than 75 percent of the world’s AI compute infrastructure is in the US, compared with just 5 percent in Europe. Entrepreneur Han de Groot founded Volt in 2023 to close this rapidly widening and potentially risky gap. He brought broad experience in the data center industry and a clear personal mission: to develop more sovereign AI compute from the Netherlands for all of Europe.

The urgency of a dangerous gap in AI compute

“Europe is currently far behind the US and China in physical AI capacity, which makes our country heavily dependent on foreign parties. As long as we house almost all of our compute infrastructure elsewhere, we run a real risk of losing control and authority over essential technology, intellectual property and sensitive data. To close this gap, we need to keep building high-quality data center and AI infrastructure on European soil, and not just concern ourselves with vision and policy,” says Han de Groot, CEO of Volt.

What does digital sovereignty mean in practice?

‘Sovereignty’ has become a widely used term in recent years, but according to De Groot, people also often misunderstand or misuse it. There is a lot of uncertainty about where exactly sovereignty begins and where it ends. “In practical terms, digital sovereignty simply means retaining full control. To truly operate as a sovereign European entity, you need to maintain control over the entire technology chain.”

That control rests on five components: energy, data center facilities, compute, cloud and AI applications. The aim is to achieve the highest possible level of sovereignty across all of them. It would of course be good to use as much European hardware and software as possible, but in the end it is not about where a component comes from. If an American component performs better or is a better fit than a European one, it must remain possible to use it, as long as the conditions for control and ownership are met.

“In practical terms, digital sovereignty simply means retaining full control.”

Han de Groot, CEO of Volt

Working with international partners from a position of ownership

According to De Groot, however, sovereign infrastructure does not mean that Europe should isolate itself. In its day-to-day operations, Volt works with leading international and American players.

“The important difference lies in the relationship between ownership and control. American and international companies can still use the infrastructure as users or customers. But ownership, physical control and ultimate responsibility for the facilities must remain firmly in the hands of European organizations,” says De Groot. “This approach prevents unwanted interference from outside the EU, without organizations losing access to global markets and technological collaboration.”

Choosing NorthC Data Centers: expertise on the data center floor

While designing its specific AI compute stack, in which hardware and software had to work together seamlessly, Volt set out to find a solid data center partner in the Netherlands. The criteria were fixed: the partner needed the right scale, professionalism and capacity for things like cooling and power supply, and it absolutely had to be European.

Volt chose NorthC. The size and high quality of the facilities mattered, but De Groot points to the day-to-day operational collaboration in particular as a key success factor: “Setting up and managing heavy, power-intensive AI clusters requires constant coordination, direct communication and in-depth expertise. Volt’s engineering teams work closely every day with the specialists on the floor at NorthC. This combination of physical capacity and human contact ensures that the infrastructure keeps running efficiently and reliably.”

Room to build Europe’s future

To quickly narrow the wide gap in AI infrastructure with the international market, data center and AI capacity in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe needs room to grow. Data centers are the essential element in this for our future digital economy. By working together from the ground up, from energy and professional data center facilities to specialized hardware and smart software, we are building a solid and sovereign foundation. In this way, Volt and NorthC are helping to build a sovereign European AI ecosystem that can continue to grow on its own terms.