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Microsoft’s new data centers likely to be established in Lavrio
Microsoft’s decision to install the huge investment of three data centres in Greece and, reportedly, at the area of Lavrio, is expected to cause changes in the region, paving the way for its transition to a new era. Lavrio will move from the era of mining to the era of new technology.
Even though Microsoft had not made any announcements about the location, the mayor of Lavreotiki, Dimitris Loukas, revealed at a conference that the data centers will be installed in Lavrio, more specifically in the former textile factory “Aegean”, of the Karella family, with an area of 100,000 sqm.
The company is currently looking for additional locations of a total area of 200,000 sqm for the development of support facilities, such as warehouses and residences for the data center executives.
The transition to the new era for Lavrio will take time, however, thanks to the investment, the town will become a technological hub, with the whole region changing, regenerating and reaping the benefits of it.
Microsoft announced that it will establish in Greece its 8th Data Center Region in Europe, an investment of €500 m, according to government officials, which, however, may exceed €1 bn of added value in the Greek economy in the coming years. The investment of the first Data Center in Greece was announced in October by the President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
According to Brad Smith, this is the largest investment of Microsoft in the 28 years it has a presence in Greece. “This is a vote of confidence in Greece and its government. We do not do this in many countries, “said Mr. Smith.
The property
The “Aegean” property in Lavrio is currently owned by the company “Euroterra SA Real Estate” of the Piraeus Bank group.
Nikolaos Karellas, an industrialist and businessman, owned a textile factory in Syros, as well as steamships and plots, inherited from his father Dimitrios Karellas. Nikolaos Karellas founded in 1920 the textile factory “VELKA” and later in 1924 the textile factory AEGEAN SA in Piraeus. After three decades and while Dimitrios N. Karellas was at the helm of the company, a new large textile unit operated in Lavrio. Aegean Textile opened the Lavrio unit in 1955, which became the headquarters of one of the largest textile companies in the country. The factory operated until the early 1990s when it went bankrupt.
Original Source: Insider
Adaptation/Summary: Kiki Athanasiadis