The operator joins Hafslund and HitecVision with a NOK 2.4 billion investment in new Oslo data centre
Telenor, Hafslund and HitecVision have hired a security director from the Norwegian Communications Authority as the CEO of their new joint venture, called Skygard. The construction of Skygard’s first secure and energy efficient data centre in Oslo begins this month. The operator said the decision to invest was influenced by the current geopolitical situation and the AI revolution increases the need for secure data storage on Norwegian soil.
The first data centre will be built in Hovinbyen, Oslo. Telenor Norway is the anchor customer in the project and Skygard is already in dialogue with several potential customers for the project. The incoming head of Skygard is Elise Lindeberg, transitioning from the position of director of security at the Norwegian Communications Authority where she has led security and emergency preparedness work. Lindeberg has also been a member of the government’s emergency and preparedness commission.
“We are proud to be making an investment that will ensure that Norway gets much-needed data centres emphasising security and sustainability,” said Jannicke Hilland, chair of the board of Skygard and EVP for infrastructure at Telenor. “We have great ambitions for Skygard and the timing is highly appropriate: the current geopolitical situation increases the need for secure solutions, while we simultaneously see an increasingly pressured market when it comes to capacity.”
She added that Skygard stands out in the data centre market by having Norwegian owners, a strong focus on energy-efficient operations, and meeting the needs of customers with very high security requirements. “Skygard aims to be a Norwegian alternative in an international industry. Elise Lindeberg brings with her an impressive background in security and emergency preparedness,” said Hilland.
“There is extensive digitisation in all sectors of society, leading to an increasing number of important and critical services relying on good digital solutions and security. Data storage plays a significant role, and I look forward to contributing to building up Skygard,” said Elise Lindeberg.
She will replace interim CEO Nils-Petter Tetlie from Analysys Mason.
The data centre in Hovinbyen aims to be the most energy-efficient in Norway, according to the partners. Surplus heat will be utilized and fed into the district heating network. Telenor claims that modern data centres like Skygard will reduce between 50 to 70 per cent of the energy requirement, compared to old data centres.
“Skygard’s customers demand a high level of security and require environmentally friendly data storage. We have electricity and available capacity and adapt to specific customer needs related to volume and security,” said Martin S. Lundby, board member of Skygard and deputy CEO of Hafslund.
It was recently announced that Telenor is also entering into extensive cooperation in artificial intelligence with Nvidia.
“Through our collaboration with Nvidia, we will be able to establish independent and Norwegian-owned cloud platforms operated on Norwegian soil, where artificial intelligence is one of the central drivers. This will contribute to Skygard’s data centres delivering highly efficient, advanced, and secure solutions,” said Hilland.
The data centre in Hovinbyen will launch operations during the first half of 2025 and will be a co-location facility for multiple tenants. In addition to the first centre, Skygard aims to build two more data centres in the Oslo region. When fully developed, the three data centres are planned to have a combined capacity of 40MW.
Skygard is owned by Telenor (31.7%), Hafslund (31.7%), HitecVision (31.7%), and Analysys Mason Nordic (5.0%).
Pictured: Telenor’s Jannicke Hilland (above,left) together with Skygard’s newly announced CEO, Elise Lindeberg (above, right).