Georg Ahlbrand, Holger Sievers, and Jens Ahlbrand in conversation.

About GRASS-MERKUR

Reliability That Supports Germany’s
Infrastructure

As an established data center operator, we combine decades of experience with the demands of tomorrow — for businesses, public institutions and organizations close to critical infrastructure.

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Digital Sovereignty Made in Hanover. Since 1971.

Security and Foresight for Your Digital Infrastructure

GRASS-MERKUR, headquartered in Hanover, has been one of Germany’s leading providers of colocation, networking and cloud services since 1971. In our state-of-the-art data center, with approximately 3,500 m² of white space, we support businesses, public authorities and KRITIS-related organizations with secure, highly available and scalable infrastructures. Our service portfolio comprises colocation, managed services, private cloud, network services and backup and disaster recovery solutions provided from our own data centers. More than 80 employees serve over 100 customers — ranging from small and medium-sized businesses to DAX-listed companies.

Our data center, which holds multiple ISO and TISAX certifications, has been synonymous with maximum availability and resilient IT infrastructures for years: GRASS-MERKUR has not experienced a single outage in the past ten years. The infrastructure is continuously modernized — including high-performance computing environments with power densities of up to 40 kW per rack for AI-based workloads.

Sustainability is an integral part of our corporate strategy. Through a documented sustainability program we pursue specific goals in energy efficiency, CO₂ reduction and resource conservation.

We already use approximately 95% green electricity and are certified to ISO 14001 and ISO 50001. Receiving the EcoZert 2025 award further underscores our commitment to sustainable and responsible IT infrastructures.

Through the HAN-CIX Cloud Exchange we operate our own cloud and internet exchange in Hanover in partnership with DE-CIX. This enables companies to benefit from high-performance and secure private and cloud-to-cloud connections with latencies of approximately 3.5 ms.

GRASS-MERKUR already offers a robust colocation service and has laid the groundwork for building AI-capable infrastructures. To address future requirements in AI and high-performance computing even more effectively, we are strategically expanding our infrastructure to include higher power densities and modern liquid cooling technologies — ensuring the efficient, secure and sustainable operation of even larger AI workloads, both on premises and in hybrid cloud environments.

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Our Partners
GRASS-MERKUR in the ISG Provider Lens™ Study
  • 55+ years of experience
  • 3,500 m² of white space
  • 100+ clients
  • 80+ employees
  • 10 years without downtime
  • 95% electricity from renewable energy sources

Service Portfolio

We Make IT Sovereign. And Effective.

Digital infrastructures are business-critical today. They form the foundation for digital business models, secure data processing and sustainable value creation — and are thus a key competitive factor on the global stage. At the same time, demands keep rising: through growing cyber threats, the use of artificial intelligence, the ongoing cloud transformation and regulatory requirements such as NIS2, DORA and KRITIS.

GRASS-MERKUR creates the technical and organizational conditions that enable companies to meet these challenges with confidence and to secure their long-term digital competitiveness. The focus is on availability, information security and digital sovereignty — as a response to a global market in which trust and control over one’s own IT infrastructure are increasingly decisive for success.



Our Service Portfolio Includes:

Data Center
Colocation Services
Consulting Services
Cloud Services
Managed Services
Interconnection Services
Security Services

Your Benefits with GRASS-MERKUR

What Sets Us Apart

Maximum Availability and Security

GRASS-MERKUR operates a high-security data center with multiple ISO and TISAX certifications and has stood for stable, secure and resilient IT infrastructure for years.

Over the past ten years our data center has recorded no unplanned downtime whatsoever — evidence of the highest operational stability and consistent quality management.

High-Performance Infrastructure

Our infrastructure is continuously modernized and flexibly adapted to growing customer requirements.

Today we already support high-performance computing environments with power densities of up to 40 kW per rack, creating the basis for data-intensive applications, AI workloads and future high-performance applications.

Strong Connectivity

Together with DE-CIX we operate the HAN-CIX Cloud Exchange in Hanover and enable direct, high-performance and secure connections to cloud providers, partners and networks.

Thanks to powerful interconnection and carrier links, companies benefit from low latency and direct access to digital ecosystems — regardless of location.

Sustainability with Responsibility

Sustainability is an integral part of our corporate strategy. With a documented sustainability program we pursue concrete goals in energy efficiency, CO₂ reduction and resource conservation.

Today we already source around 95 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and are certified to ISO 14001 and ISO 50001.

Our History

More than five decades of experience—and a forward-looking perspective

Founded in 1971, GRASS-MERKUR has evolved step by step ever since: from a traditional IT and data center service provider to a modern infrastructure partner for colocation, cloud, managed services, consulting and digital sovereignty.

What has never changed is our mission: to build and operate IT infrastructures that companies can rely on at all times — secure, available and future-proof for the demands of tomorrow.

  • Growth and Expansion

    GRASS-MERKUR invests continuously in expanding its infrastructure, new services and strategic partnerships. The aim is to expand its market presence nationally and to provide services increasingly to international customers.

    The management team in a meeting.

  • High-Security Data Center in Hanover

    With around 3,500 m² of white space, multiple ISO and TISAX certifications, more than 80 employees and over 100 customers, GRASS-MERKUR operates a high-performance infrastructure for companies, public authorities and KRITIS-related organizations.

    Exterior View of the Hanover Data Center - GRASS-MERKUR

  • Holger Sievers Joins as Managing Director

    In January 2026, Holger Sievers joins the management of GRASS-MERKUR, bringing new impetus for the company’s further development with his many years of experience as an IT and transformation manager.

    On June 30, 2026, Helmut Hartung steps down as Managing Director and enters his well-earned retirement.

  • Expansion of the Photovoltaic System

    GRASS-MERKUR is further expanding its own photovoltaic system, increasing the share of sustainably generated electricity for data center operations — another step toward greater energy efficiency and environmental responsibility.

    GRASS-MERKUR: Historical Overview - Expansion of the Photovoltaic System at the Hanover Data Center in 2025.

  • More Capacity for Our Customers

    GRASS-MERKUR is expanding its data center space and consistently developing its technical infrastructure, including the cable routing. This creates additional room for future growth while maintaining consistently high availability.

    Historical Overview: Expansion of the Data Center Infrastructure in Hanover in 2024.

  • HPC Racks Added on the Upper Floor

    GRASS-MERKUR expands its data center with additional HPC racks on the upper floor, creating further capacity for compute-intensive high-performance computing applications.

    GRASS-MERKUR: Historical Review - Expansion of the HPC rack on the first floor of the Hanover data center.

  • Expansion of the Data Center in Hanover

    The installation of an additional recooler expanded the existing capacity in the GRASS-MERKUR data center. So-called “hybrid recooling systems” have been in use in the high-security data center for several years. “Besides their reliability, these systems stand out for particularly efficient and economical operation,” says Jens Ahlbrand, Managing Director of GRASS-MERKUR.

    GRASS-MERKUR: Historical Overview - Expansion of the Cooling System at the Hanover Data Center in 2022.

  • Commissioning of the New UPS System

    Following the preparatory work of the previous year, the new UPS system goes into operation and provides additional protection for the data center’s power supply. With this, GRASS-MERKUR further strengthens the availability and failover reliability of its infrastructure.

    GRASS-MERKUR Emergency Power System at the Hanover Data Center.

  • Merger of MERKUR IT & GRASS

    The two companies merge to form GRASS-MERKUR under the management of Jens Ahlbrand and Helmut Hartung. At the same time, the data center is expanded and the preparatory work for a new UPS system is carried out. Since then, the development into a comprehensive infrastructure partner has been guided by availability, information security, certified processes and regulatory compliance.

    View of the RZ Building: A Look Back in History: The Merger of MERKUR IT & GRASS in 2007.

  • Modernization of the Infrastructure

    GRASS-MERKUR invests in modern data center and network technologies and expands its portfolio to include operations and managed services. On behalf of Worldpartner Siemens AG, the company also operates the central data center for EXPO 2000.

    GRASS-MERKUR: Historical Retrospective - Modernization of the Data Center Infrastructure in 2000.

  • MERKUR Acquires the Rothwiese Data Center

    MERKUR acquires the Rothwiese data center in Hanover, laying the basis for the further expansion of its data center services.

    Historical Retrospective: GRASS-MERKUR: A Look at MERKUR's Rothwiese Data Center.

  • Generational Change in Management

    Jens Ahlbrand takes over as Managing Director and has since led the company with the ambition of driving continuity and innovation in equal measure.

    Your GRASS-MERKUR Contact - Jens Ahlbrand, Managing Director

  • Founding of GRASS

    With Helmut Hartung and Jochen Kaiser as Managing Directors, GRASS begins operations — focusing on data center consulting and services.

    Exterior view - GRASS Hannover was founded in 1989.

  • Founding of MERKUR in Hanover

    Klaus Ahlbrand founds MERKUR in Hanover, focusing on data center operations services and laying the foundation for more than 50 years of critical IT infrastructure Made in Germany.

    Historical Overview: MERKUR was founded in 1971 in Hanover.

Partnership for Sustainable Digitalization

Shaping the Digital Future Together

The demands placed on data centers are changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and data-intensive applications are placing new demands on performance, power supply and cooling.

GRASS-MERKUR already offers high-performance colocation and infrastructure solutions for demanding workloads.

At the same time, we are making targeted investments in the expansion of AI-enabled infrastructure, higher power densities, modern cooling technologies and the growth of our network and cloud ecosystems.

Alongside high-performance infrastructure and operational services, strategic consulting is becoming increasingly important. That is why we are continuously expanding our consulting capabilities and supporting customers in developing future-proof IT strategies.

Our Ambition Is Clear:

We want to actively help shape our customers' digital transformation, open up new markets and further expand our position as a high-performing infrastructure partner, both nationally and internationally.

This is how we create the basis for digital value creation — today and in the future.

Security

Certifications & Standards

Security, quality and sustainability are firmly embedded in our processes. Our infrastructure and management systems meet the highest requirements and are certified to the following standards, among others:

ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, TISAX

In addition, GRASS-MERKUR has been awarded the EcoZert 2025 for sustainable and responsible business practices.

Learn more about our certifications
  • ISO/IEC Certifications: 27001, 27017, and 27018 bsi - GRASS-MERKUR
  • ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certificate - GRASS-MERKUR
  • ISO 50001 Energy Management Certificate 2018 - GRASS-MERKUR
  • TISAX ENX ASSOCIATION 2024 - GRASS-MERKUR
  • EcoZert Award for Sustainability ESG 2025–2026 - GRASS-MERKUR
  • CrefoZert Creditreform Creditworthiness Certificate 2025–2026 - GRASS-MERKUR
The GRASS-MERKUR team in discussion.

Working Together for High-Performance IT

People Make the Difference

Behind every successful infrastructure are people who take responsibility. Every day, more than 80 employees ensure that our customers can rely on secure, high-performance and available IT infrastructures.

With technical expertise, personal commitment and short decision-making paths, we support companies from consulting through implementation to day-to-day operations.

Meet Our Team

Ready for the Next Step?

Whether colocation, cloud, managed services or individual infrastructure concepts — we support you in developing a secure and future-proof IT strategy. Talk to our experts.

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