Dieter Schwarz, the 86-year-old billionaire who built his fortune on supermarket chains Lidl and Kaufland, is now challenging tech giants Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. His company Schwarz Digits is constructing a new headquarters in Bad Friedrichshall, a campus for 3,500 employees with a daycare, restaurant, and fitness center, set to open on July 21, 2026.

The Schwarz Group, Europe's largest retailer, generated over €185 billion in revenue last year, surpassing SAP, Mercedes, and Bayer. Only Volkswagen earned more in Germany. Now, the group is pushing for digital sovereignty, offering cloud and security solutions to businesses and governments.

Schwarz Digits has won contracts with the Dutch government, German ministries, and the German Football Association. It is building an €11 billion data center in Spreewald, the largest investment in the company's history. The new campus aims to attract IT talent, offering an alternative to Silicon Valley.

The Dieter Schwarz Foundation focuses on education and science. In Heilbronn, it supports an education campus with 8,000 students and the Experimenta science center. Mayor Harry Mergel credits the foundation and Schwarz Group for transforming Heilbronn into a "knowledge city."

The Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) near Heilbronn, set to open in 2027, will host up to 5,000 workers. Schwarz Digits CEO Bernd Wagner claims the region will become Germany's and Europe's largest AI hub.

Despite Schwarz Digits' modest €2.2 billion revenue compared to Amazon's $135 billion cloud revenue, Wagner is confident: "We are here to stay." Schwarz's track record suggests his big tech bet might pay off.

Source: www.dw.com