In the era of digitization and the increasing demand for cloud services, IT infrastructure providers face the challenge of rapidly expanding data center capacity. Currently, there are over 120 data center facilities in Poland, with Warsaw and its surroundings emerging as the most attractive areas for market development. JLL experts predict that by 2030, 20-25% of the available capacity in data centers will be dedicated solely to facilities designed to meet the demand generated by artificial intelligence technology, opening new opportunities for both the technology and real estate sectors.
Location of Data Centers: The Key to Success
Despite the growing demand, the data center market in Poland faces several challenges. A critical issue is the development of power networks, which must keep pace with the rapid increase in energy demand. Most networks in Poland require modernization, and planning their development often lags behind the investment pace in the data center market. Therefore, choosing the right location for such ventures is crucial for their proper functioning.
“The saying known to every real estate market participant—location, location, and location—can be paraphrased as power, power, and power. Access to high capacities determines the possibility of locating a Data Center facility. The importance of this factor is increasing as the pace of development in the Data Center market exceeds the capacity of power network development as a public investment. The planning of transmission networks is projected over a period of at least several years, often several decades. Therefore, expanding energy networks that respond to market expectations and creating good legal frameworks for implementing energy efficiency and decarbonization will be crucial for Poland to maintain its competitive position in Europe.” — said Daniel Stępniak, Senior Land Project Manager at JLL
Warsaw – The Center of Poland's Data Center Market
The majority of data centers in Poland are being established around Warsaw, which serves as the main IT hub in the region. Currently, about one-third of all such facilities—48 out of 123 nationwide—are located in the capital. Due to property availability constraints or other institutional limitations in countries like the Netherlands, France, or Ireland, Poland is becoming an attractive destination for new investments, especially from global players. Warsaw is also attracting significant investments in cloud solutions, further solidifying its position as a leader in the data center market in Central and Eastern Europe. Investors appreciate the city's convenient location and developing technological infrastructure, creating favorable conditions for further growth.
“The share of space allocated for colocation and hosting in Warsaw currently stands at 68%. Observing supply shares in other cities—8% in Kraków, about 7% in Poznań, and approximately 5% in Wrocław—we see that the disparity between the capital and other key markets is significant and will continue to widen as new players naturally choose the Warsaw market. The scale of facilities is also changing. Currently, amidst market fragmentation, we have only one facility exceeding 4,000 m² net (designated for server space). This is Data Center WAW-1 Atmana—an object that has been gradually expanded since the 1990s. We can also identify seven facilities larger than 2,500 m². These eight mentioned facilities currently account for two-thirds of resources. However, most—76 facilities—occupy less than 500 m². Planned investments are significantly larger-scale projects. The ongoing Atmana investment in Duchnice will provide about 19,000 m² designated for servers. Another example is operator Data4, which began operations in Poland with a phased investment to build a campus in Jawczyce that could ultimately provide 15,000 m² of IT space. Both investments are taking place in the suburban municipality of Ożarów Mazowiecki near Warsaw, confirming the trend of deepening concentration in the Warsaw market.” — explains Daniel Stępniak
Growing Demand for Data Centers
The size of the data center market continues to grow; according to JLL data, it reached 174 MW (megawatts) in 2023—a 43% increase compared to 2022. JLL experts predict that by 2030, this market will expand to 500 MW.
Demand for data center services is divided into two main segments: traditional colocation data centers designed for multiple tenants (businesses and public institutions) and wholesale providers (hyperscale), used by cloud solution providers and AI technologies. Renting server space from external operators is gaining popularity among businesses; currently, about half of companies in Poland utilize such solutions-a figure that continues to rise. Conversely, growth in the wholesale (hyperscalers) market dedicated to global public cloud providers like Google, AWS, or Microsoft drives large-scale facility developments that cater to massive data processing needs.
Future Technologies: Big Data, Public Cloud, and AI
One of the primary drivers behind data center market growth includes technologies such as Big Data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI). AI deserves special attention as it becomes an integral part of daily life with applications extending beyond modern technology.
“The current development of the data center market is a natural consequence of economic globalization. The increasing volume of processed information requires appropriate infrastructure for storage and transmission. This drives data center development as they become foundational for digital reality growth. Today we observe a very dynamic increase in demand for data center facilities that will serve needs generated by artificial intelligence technology. We predict that by 2030, 20-25% of available capacity in data processing centers will be dedicated solely to this purpose.” — adds Daniel Stępniak
