Jan 30, 2026
Romania is getting ready to construct a large AI hub and data centers.
Romania is advancing its Black Sea AI Gigafactory initiative, with a planned investment of up to EUR 5 billion for artificial intelligence accelerators situated at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant and a proposed small modular reactor facility in Doicești. The computing center is expected to operate on a 1.5 GW energy supply that will include renewable sources. Concurrently, the largest electricity distribution firm in the country, DEER, which is owned by Electrica, plans to invest in data centers. Additionally, the transmission system operator Transelectrica also intends to establish one.
Some nations are more capable than others in fulfilling electricity needs from local power sources. However, planners are considering a broader perspective, taking into account the rapid transformations anticipated from widespread electrification and digitalization. This transition has the potential to significantly alter the energy landscape. Romania aims to align with these developments on both the production and consumption fronts, utilizing new technologies such as small modular reactors and artificial intelligence.
Last year, the government submitted a letter of intent in response to the EU's InvestAI initiative, which aims to deploy 100,000 AI accelerators. The first phase of the Black Sea AI Gigafactory supercomputing hub will be located at Romania’s only nuclear power plant, Cernavodă.
The Black Sea AI Gigafactory is designed to provide AI services not only in Romania but also across the region, including Serbia.
The second phase is planned for Doicești, which will host a small modular reactor (SMR) project, potentially the first of its type in the European Union.
The Black Sea AI Gigafactory, with an estimated cost of up to EUR 5 billion, will necessitate 1.5 GW of electricity capacity. Authorities plan to integrate nuclear energy with renewable sources. The hub is expected to facilitate AI services throughout the Black Sea region and Serbia.
Both private and public entities, including major Romanian universities, are involved in this initiative. Under the program, the EU and the member state can finance up to 35% of the expenses.
In a separate initiative, the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) recently selected Bucharest as one of six locations for its AI Factories call. Overall, there are 19 projects across 16 EU member states in this round, which is backed by EUR 500 million in public funds.
The RO AI Factory project aims to shift small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from being passive technology users to proactive AI innovators by focusing on services, training, and access to infrastructure. Scientific and research organizations are spearheading this project.
This initiative includes the acquisition and deployment of an AI-optimized supercomputer.
The largest electricity distribution company in Romania, DEER, is planning to establish data centers and is looking at underground locations, such as salt mines and bomb shelters.
DEER, which is owned by Electrica, has the government as a shareholder holding just under 50%.
The plan consists of creating three modular and interoperable data centers in Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, and Ploiești. DEER emphasized the benefits of underground sites for security and energy efficiency, suggesting these facilities could utilize geothermal cooling. However, there are concerns about corrosion, connectivity, access challenges, and potential hidden costs.
DEER is exploring locations such as bomb shelters and salt mines for data centers.
Modernizing the IT infrastructure is vital under the smart grid initiative and for managing the large data volumes generated by four million users and new prosumers, as stated by the firm, according to Profit.ro.
Transelectrica, the transmission system operator, is pursuing its own project to enhance its communication network and establish a data center that must remain functional in extreme scenarios like war, earthquakes, floods, and cyberattacks.
Meanwhile, Public Power Corp. (PPC Group) in Greece is also working on significant data center projects, utilizing sites within its coal power complex, which is set to cease all operations this year.
Some nations are more capable than others in fulfilling electricity needs from local power sources. However, planners are considering a broader perspective, taking into account the rapid transformations anticipated from widespread electrification and digitalization. This transition has the potential to significantly alter the energy landscape. Romania aims to align with these developments on both the production and consumption fronts, utilizing new technologies such as small modular reactors and artificial intelligence.
Last year, the government submitted a letter of intent in response to the EU's InvestAI initiative, which aims to deploy 100,000 AI accelerators. The first phase of the Black Sea AI Gigafactory supercomputing hub will be located at Romania’s only nuclear power plant, Cernavodă.
The Black Sea AI Gigafactory is designed to provide AI services not only in Romania but also across the region, including Serbia.
The second phase is planned for Doicești, which will host a small modular reactor (SMR) project, potentially the first of its type in the European Union.
The Black Sea AI Gigafactory, with an estimated cost of up to EUR 5 billion, will necessitate 1.5 GW of electricity capacity. Authorities plan to integrate nuclear energy with renewable sources. The hub is expected to facilitate AI services throughout the Black Sea region and Serbia.
Both private and public entities, including major Romanian universities, are involved in this initiative. Under the program, the EU and the member state can finance up to 35% of the expenses.
In a separate initiative, the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) recently selected Bucharest as one of six locations for its AI Factories call. Overall, there are 19 projects across 16 EU member states in this round, which is backed by EUR 500 million in public funds.
The RO AI Factory project aims to shift small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from being passive technology users to proactive AI innovators by focusing on services, training, and access to infrastructure. Scientific and research organizations are spearheading this project.
This initiative includes the acquisition and deployment of an AI-optimized supercomputer.
The largest electricity distribution company in Romania, DEER, is planning to establish data centers and is looking at underground locations, such as salt mines and bomb shelters.
DEER, which is owned by Electrica, has the government as a shareholder holding just under 50%.
The plan consists of creating three modular and interoperable data centers in Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, and Ploiești. DEER emphasized the benefits of underground sites for security and energy efficiency, suggesting these facilities could utilize geothermal cooling. However, there are concerns about corrosion, connectivity, access challenges, and potential hidden costs.
DEER is exploring locations such as bomb shelters and salt mines for data centers.
Modernizing the IT infrastructure is vital under the smart grid initiative and for managing the large data volumes generated by four million users and new prosumers, as stated by the firm, according to Profit.ro.
Transelectrica, the transmission system operator, is pursuing its own project to enhance its communication network and establish a data center that must remain functional in extreme scenarios like war, earthquakes, floods, and cyberattacks.
Meanwhile, Public Power Corp. (PPC Group) in Greece is also working on significant data center projects, utilizing sites within its coal power complex, which is set to cease all operations this year.