Industrial regeneration and innovation. Artificial intelligence and data centers. And also: sustainability, efficiency, and social responsibility. Italian logistics is becoming increasingly interconnected with the major transformations currently reshaping the real estate sector. As Andrea Marchiori, CEO of Techbau S.p.A., notes, specifically in the case of data centers, today more than ever “it is essential to invest in urban regeneration processes and in the redevelopment of disused industrial areas, creating space for new, high-tech industries.” It is within these dynamics that key aspects of our country’s future economic, social, and sustainable development will take shape.

“We are in the midst of a structural transformation in which digital is no longer an ancillary layer, but a ‘necessary’ infrastructure, on par with energy and transport networks. The growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and the digital services of the Public Administration is generating an increasing demand for computing power and data management capacity to support innovation needs in sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing and finance. In the medium to long term, this demand will not slow down: data volumes are rising, applications are becoming more complex, and the need for resilience and digital sovereignty is strengthening. Data centers are not merely technical buildings, but strategic assets that enable competitiveness, innovation and operational continuity.”

“Regenerating disused former manufacturing sites and making room for new digital industries first and foremost means reducing land take. Reusing already-developed areas—already served by utilities and transport infrastructure, already integrated into the urban fabric and, crucially, equipped with energy substations—has a positive environmental impact. Likewise, redeveloping sites that have been abandoned for years, sometimes degraded or underutilised, is a strategic choice that can restore functionality, safety and quality to urban areas that often need it most. The value of regeneration is therefore not only environmental, but also social and economic: it reactivates disused sites, attracts investment, creates skilled jobs and strengthens high-value local supply chains.”

“A very concrete example is Digital Realty’s ROM1 project in Rome, where the goal is not to build from scratch, but to repurpose and transform the existing building stock: the former ACEA office complex on Via delle Testuggini, in Municipio IX, is being converted into a strategic digital infrastructure for both the city and the country. The first phase of the campus will comprise approximately 5,000 sqm of gross floor area and 3.2 MW of IT capacity, split into four 0.8 MW modules. It is clear evidence of how a disused building can become a high-value digital hub, located close to energy networks and connectivity, with greater certainty in permitting and delivery timelines.”