REPORTED by Het Financieele Dagblad and CONFIRMED by VOLT CEO Han de Groot to the Dutch news agency ANP on 12 October 2026. Neither company has put out a formal press release. The factory is not built and not yet financed.
Nebius, the Amsterdam-headquartered AI cloud company, is the first customer for a large AI data centre that Dutch developer VOLT plans to build in the Port of Rotterdam. Financial daily Het Financieele Dagblad (FD) reported the deal first, and VOLT’s chief executive Han de Groot then confirmed it to ANP [1].
According to De Groot, Nebius and VOLT have signed an agreement for “a substantial part of the computing power of the AI gigafactory planned in the Port of Rotterdam” (translated from Dutch) [1].
How the deal works
De Groot described the split of roles like this: “Nebius buys the computing power produced in the AI gigafactory, and VOLT develops and builds the buildings and installs the AI chips, which Nebius rents for a long period” (translated from Dutch) [1].
In plain terms: VOLT is the landlord and builder. It puts up the buildings and fills them with chips. Nebius is the long-term tenant that pays to use that computing power, which it can then sell on to its own customers. A long rental contract like this matters because, as Techzine explains, it is the kind of commitment that investment funds and banks can lend against to pay for the construction and the hardware [3].
Neither company has said what the contract is worth, or exactly how much capacity Nebius has signed for.
What VOLT plans to build
According to ANP [1]:
- Cost. VOLT expects the first construction phase to cost EUR 7 billion: EUR 2.5 billion for the buildings and EUR 4.5 billion for the AI chip infrastructure.
- Timing. VOLT hopes construction can start in 2028. De Groot says next year will be about getting the necessary permits.
- Size. If building goes ahead, the first phase will be two building sections of 100 megawatts (MW) of IT capacity each. The full factory would have six sections.
VOLT’s own project page describes the campus as having capacity of “up to 800 MWe” (megawatts of electricity) and names energy company Eneco as its energy partner [4].
Why the Maasvlakte, and the power question
Data centres for AI use enormous amounts of electricity, and the Dutch power grid is already congested. De Groot told ANP that concerns about this are justified, and that this is partly why he wants to build on the Maasvlakte, the port’s reclaimed industrial area.
“Our starting point is to use power from offshore wind farms, close to where it comes ashore in the Port of Rotterdam. That way we bring the power demand to the energy source. That limits transport over the overcrowded electricity grid inland,” he said (translated from Dutch) [1].
What Nebius says
Nebius chief executive Arkady Volozh told Quote: “We want Europe to be successful on the world stage. As we continue to build out reliable AI infrastructure worldwide, we are supporting the Rotterdam AI Gigafactory and working with leading Dutch entrepreneurs to strengthen the Netherlands’ independent AI capacity” (translated from Dutch) [2].
Techzine also quotes Volozh as saying: “Europe needs more large-scale AI infrastructure” [3].
What insiders reportedly say (unconfirmed)
Techzine, citing De Telegraaf, reports that according to insiders Nebius will use up to 200 MW, and that the campus could grow to 600 MW if new major customers join [3]. Techzine also reports that Nebius will receive 100,000 of the most advanced AI chips, and that the first capacity is expected by late 2029 or early 2030 [3]. None of these figures has been confirmed by Nebius or VOLT.
What is not known
- Financing. The project is not financed yet. Techzine reports construction can begin once financing is secured [3].
- Permits. VOLT still needs permits; it says next year will be spent on that [1].
- Contract details. Neither company has disclosed the contract value or how many megawatts Nebius has taken.
Related stories
- AIB says Nebius prepayment funds $800m, 50MW data centre, no equity raise
- Meta’s $27 billion Nebius gamble: outsourcing the future of AI
Sources
- ANP, “Eerste klant voor geplande AI-fabriek in Rotterdamse haven”, via Reformatorisch Dagblad, 12 October 2026, 09:02 CEST. https://www.rd.nl/artikel/eerste-klant-voor-geplande-ai-fabriek-in-rotterdamse-haven
- Quote, 12 October 2026. https://www.quotenet.nl/zakelijk/a74102922/quote-500-lid-han-de-groot-volt-nebius-philips-apneu/
- Erik van Klinken, “Nebius is the first customer of a Rotterdam-based AI gigafactory”, Techzine Global, 12 October 2026. https://www.techzine.eu/news/infrastructure/144896/nebius-is-the-first-customer-of-a-rotterdam-based-ai-gigafactory/
- VOLT, “The Rotterdam AI Gigafactory”. https://fromvolt.com/rotterdam
