BRU01 stood out for going beyond mitigation to measurable contribution. Completed in May 2024 and located in Zellik, northwest Brussels, the 7 MW facility is fully carbon- and water-neutral, triple-certified for BREEAM, EDGE Advanced and Uptime Institute Tier III, and designed to function as an active contributor to its local energy ecosystem.
As well as meeting demanding green standards, BRU01 is making a commercial and social impact too – the first phase of the Belgian national supercomputer is now housed in the facility, as well as various other customer installations.
Located on Brussels University grounds as part of the Zellik Research Park redevelopment, the data centre sits at the intersection of academia, business and infrastructure. That collaboration shaped one of its defining features: a microgrid developed in partnership with Fluvius, the Flemish distribution system operator. An on-site substation and 6 HVO-fuelled generators with 2 MW of capacity each, enable the facility not only to operate resiliently, but to stabilise or inject power into the local grid.
Home to the National Supercomputer
The facility delivers 7.2 MW of IT load from a 12.5 MVA feed fully traceable to local renewables, with further expansion planned. A photovoltaic façade generates up to 390 kW. When the additional efficiency gains from full heat recuperation and on-site solar offsetting are factored in, this takes design PUE to 1.16, a figure incredibly hard to achieve for non-Nordic facilities. Water use was reimagined entirely, with BRU01 using no piped water, and heat exchangers connected to a thermal smart grid allow recovered heat to warm neighbouring buildings.
Since winning the award in 2025, BRU01 has continued to demonstrate the value of its vision. Throughout 2025, customer installations progressed as part of its phased rollout. In November, its highest-profile tenant unveiled the first phase of Belgium’s national supercomputer, Sofia, a Tier-1 13,580 TFLOP system managed by the Free University of Brussels as part of the Flemish Supercomputer Centre. Supporting research from AI-based infrastructure inspection to flood-risk modelling, Sofia reinforces BRU01’s role as critical national infrastructure
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Despite the proliferation of data centre awards over the last few years, the Datacloud Global Congress is still definitely one of the best places to put a spotlight on your products and services. It’s a very strong event with great attendee profiles – C-level executives, directors and investors. The Congress is a real ‘who’s who’ of the data centre industry, and an opportunity to talk to a lot of people in a very short period of time.
According to van der Wilt, winning has strengthened the company’s market positioning. “The ‘Best Data Centre Sustainability Project of the Year’ award is very welcome and helps build our brand. It shows investors, customers, prospects, peers and employees that we are ahead of the curve - which really matters in a crowded and competitive market.”
“The award has been practically useful from a marketing perspective. We reference it on our website, in collateral, in customer communications and face-to-face. With sustainability now a growing focus in RFIs and RFPs, being able to point to Datacloud recognition for BRU01 really helps underline our credentials.”