en.Wedoany.com Reported - Dutch data center developer Volt is partnering with Dell and NorthC to launch an AI cloud.

Volt describes the platform as "the first step toward an AI gigafactory," which it plans to develop in Rotterdam as part of the European Commission's €20 billion ($23 billion) initiative to build AI data centers in Europe.

The AI cloud will operate entirely on Dutch infrastructure and is scheduled to go live in October 2026, targeting enterprises looking to deploy AI in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and defense. Initially, the cloud will run at a NorthC data center in the Netherlands, with capacity gradually transitioning to Volt's AI gigafactory once completed.

Volt founder and CEO Han de Groot stated: "AI is rapidly evolving from an experimental technology into a mission-critical production factor, and organizations need not only computing power but also control over the infrastructure running their AI." He noted that with the Dutch AI cloud, Volt is providing organizations with a European alternative. Users can purchase AI computing power by the hour, reserve GPU capacity with a fixed monthly fee, or choose to have Volt manage their AI infrastructure, or adopt a fully customized and managed AI environment.

Adrian McDonald, President of Dell Technologies EMEA, pointed out: "Europe's AI competitiveness depends on infrastructure that delivers performance, control, and trust. Dell's partnership with Volt aims to provide integrated AI infrastructure for sovereign, high-performance workloads." He said that as AI moves from experimentation to production, organizations need system platforms that integrate data, networking, cooling, software, and services to build and scale AI on a controlled basis.

Volt announced its AI gigafactory plans in April, with the site located on a brownfield in the Port of Rotterdam that already has a high-voltage grid connection, potentially powered by wind energy from North Sea turbines in the future.

NorthC was founded in 2019 through the merger of Dutch data center company TDCG and NLDC (formerly a subsidiary of Dutch telecom company KPN). The company currently operates over a dozen data centers in the Netherlands, eight in Germany, and four in Switzerland, with more data centers under development in these markets. In December 2025, Antin Infrastructure Partners acquired NorthC from DWS.

NorthC CEO Alexandra Schless stated: "Data centers are evolving from supporting infrastructure into strategic utilities for the digital economy, and AI is accelerating this development. This collaboration helps build the digital infrastructure for the next generation of AI."