Scaling Data Centers: Participating in a Thriving Market Ecosystem
Data centers have become the backbone of the digital economy, and their growth is nothing short of explosive. Driven by AI, cloud computing, and global connectivity, this market is expanding faster than ever before. For manufacturing companies, this is not just an opportunity - it’s a strategic move to diversify and leverage their engineering expertise to deliver high-value components and solutions for a future-proof industry.
Diversify today and lead tomorrow!
To help companies seize this momentum, we developed the Exploration Program.
It serves as your strategic gateway into the booming data center industry. Designed specifically for medium-sized and large manufacturing companies, this program enables you to navigate market entry with clarity and confidence.
Whether you produce high-performance materials, precision-engineered components, or innovative systems, the Exploration Program empowers you to:
- Identify your unique value proposition (USP) in the data center ecosystem
- Align your manufacturing competencies with emerging market needs
- Discover high-potential application areas for your products and technologies
- Develop a tailored market entry strategy that positions you for long-term success
The Exploration Program combines technological depth with real-world experience. Together with an industry consortium and experts, the aim is to understand and actively shape the future of data centers.
Project Phases
Creating impact and innovations for the data center market
Questions to be Answered in this Exploration Program
Phase 1: Market & Technology Understanding
How is the data center market developing? How will we build and operate data centers in the future? Which technologies will influence the data center market?
Phase 2: Technical State-of-the Art Solutions
How is the Balance of Plant & the structure of key systems organized? Where are the innovation white spots in design, material properties, & production processes? What does a data enter look like inside?
Phase 3: Individual development of a Data Center Roadmap
Which data center applications align best with the company’s core competencies and offer the highest market potential? What joint actions and next steps should consortium partners take to leverage these opportunities?
Join now!
The outcome of the Exploration Program:
>> Understand if and how you can participate in the upscaling of data centers. <<
Target group
The consortium project is ideal for mid-sized and large companies looking to strategically secure their growth and expand into new business areas. It is particularly relevant for companies aiming to supply manufactured products or materials to data centers.
AI is now infrastructure, and this infrastructure, just like the internet, just like electricity, needs factories. These factories are essentially what we build today. They’re not data centers of the past - they are, in fact, AI factories.
Jesen Huang, CEO, Nvidia
Participation Conditions Consortium Project
Project Start: April 21, 2026
Project End: October, 2026
Costs: € 15,000 per Company
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Daniel Führen
Daniel Führen is a highly experienced professional in technology and innovation management, specializing in diverse industries such as automotive, life sciences, materials, energy, and chemicals. His expertise includes hydrogen economy, sustainable production, additive manufacturing, and printed electronics. He excels in diversifying businesses, identifying new products and applications, and leading sustainable production projects. Daniel Führen currently serves as the Head of New Energy Systems at INC Innovation Center, with a Master's Degree in Physics from RWTH Aachen University.
Daniel Führen
Ixchen Elías
Ixchen Elías is a materials scientist with expertise in innovative materials and circular economy strategies across the automotive, micro and power electronics, photovoltaics, and construction industries. She combines her deep knowledge of materials, process technologies, and recycling technologies to help companies redesign products and implement circular business models. With over 7 years of experience in both research and consultancy, she focuses on advancing resource-efficient innovation and guiding clients towards successful circular transformation.
