HLRS III: Building a Sustainable Home for Supercomputers and AI in Germany

With the laying of the cornerstone at the University of Stuttgart, the realization of HLRS III has entered its next phase. The new building is conceived as a dedicated home for supercomputers and as a key piece of infrastructure for the future of high-performance computing and artificial intelligence in Germany and Europe. HLRS III is designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects in collaboration with Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten. From 2027 onwards, it will house HLRS’s next flagship supercomputer, Herder, alongside an AI-optimized system for the AI Factory HammerHAI.

The building brings technological ambition and architectural clarity together. At its heart is the High Performance Computing room, built with a load-bearing timber structure. A deep vertical cut, “the canyon”, separates this highly secured zone from the office areas and serves as the main circulation space, offering controlled views into the HPC environment and making research physically tangible.

Sustainability is fundamental to the design. HLRS III will be the first data center with a server room constructed largely from timber. It combines a timber hybrid structure with largely recycled concrete, and photovoltaic systems on roof and façades. Excess heat from the supercomputers is reused through the adjacent Abwärmezentrale and fed into the campus heating network — a concept that earned HLRS the Datacenter Strategy Award in 2024.

As Baden-Württemberg Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz stated:
“We are constructing a state-of-the-art building, promoting innovation and advanced research in the state, and investing in our future. This will create space for a new generation of computers. HLRS III in Stuttgart will be a top-class facility in Europe and a major European cluster for high-performance computing and artificial intelligence.”