Dutch entrepreneur Han de Groot has officially launched VOLT, a new company that aims to design, build, and operate large-scale AI Factories – specialized data centers purpose-built for artificial intelligence infrastructure. The announcement marks the company’s emergence from stealth mode, positioning VOLT as one of the first European developers focused exclusively on next-generation AI compute facilities.
De Groot, known in the tech industry for his earlier ventures in digital infrastructure, said his fascination with data centers began in 2019 while developing one in Amsterdam. That experience, he explained, revealed how essential such facilities have become to the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence. According to him, AI data centers are no longer merely “powered boxes” for digital storage, but “factories of intelligence” – high-performance environments where chips, cloud systems, and neural networks generate the computational output that drives innovation, automation, and economic growth.
The company’s founding comes at a time when global demand for AI infrastructure capacity is surging, driven by the growth of generative AI, large language models, and high-performance computing workloads. De Groot argues that nations and enterprises must secure “digital sovereignty” by developing their own AI infrastructure – in much the same way that energy and water supply are considered essential public assets.
Netherlands, Dubai, USA
VOLT’s first projects are already in motion. The company is developing AI Factory sites in Rotterdam, the Middle East (Dubai), and the United States (Dallas), with plans for further expansion across Europe. These facilities will focus on AI model training, inference, and cloud services, leveraging the Netherlands’ well-established position as a hub for digital connectivity and renewable energy integration.
To support this rapid international rollout, VOLT is expanding its team across multiple technical and strategic disciplines. The company is hiring for several senior and specialized positions, including:
- Chief Technology Officer (CTO): A visionary leader to co-create the AI Infrastructure and Supercomputing Platform – designing modular AI centers that integrate grid-to-chip systems and software-defined sites capable of self-optimization.
- Chief Data Center Architect: Responsible for developing VOLT’s global reference architecture, leading the design of scalable, sustainable AI-ready campuses with expertise in high-voltage power systems, liquid cooling, and lifecycle carbon reduction.
- Head of European Site Selection & Acquisition: Tasked with securing powered land, grid capacity, and permits across EU markets to deliver large-scale AI and hyperscale campuses on accelerated timelines.
- High-Performance Computing Expert: Focused on optimizing GPU-based AI workloads, CUDA performance, and large-scale model training environments.
- Systems Architect: Designing modular, cloud-scale data center architectures for AI and distributed computing environments.
- Thermal & Energy Engineer: Developing next-generation cooling and energy systems that maximize efficiency and enable integration with renewables.
- Software / Network Engineer: Building the distributed software and network fabric that powers VOLT’s global AI infrastructure.
These roles, De Groot said, reflect VOLT’s vision of bringing together “engineering, sustainability, and intelligence” to define the future of digital infrastructure. The company’s mission is to ensure that Europe becomes an AI maker — not an AI taker, creating its own technology ecosystem rather than relying solely on U.S. or Asian hyperscalers.
