Romania has a real chance of becoming the second-largest data center market in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), trailing only Poland, fueled by a favorable climate for investment growth. According to industry estimates, European data centers are expected to attract investments of approximately €176 billion between 2026 and 2031.
While the FLAP-D region (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin) continues to dominate the market with an estimated IT power capacity exceeding 6,600 MW for 2026, Central and Eastern Europe is rapidly closing the gap, projected to reach approximately 883 MW this year. Poland leads this dynamic, with capacity estimated to grow from 197 MW in 2024 to 511 MW by 2031, maintaining an accelerated pace in the hyperscale segment as well. Alongside Poland, Romania has the potential to double or even triple its capacity in the coming years.
This trend is confirmed by studies such as “State of European Data Centres 2026” (EUDCA) and “The Data Centre Investment Outlook for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)” by Platform Insight, which highlight Romania as one of the fastest-growing colocation markets in the region.
“The opportunities are significant. Romania offers a set of advantages that investors are beginning to discover and capitalize on, provided they find a favorable politico-economic context. Local players—from energy and utility providers to builders and integrators like Tema Energy—are ready for a potential market expansion. We will discuss all these directions during the 2026 edition of the DataCenter Forum, an event that has grown steadily over recent years and attracts increasing interest from the entire ecosystem: operators, suppliers, investors, and authorities,” stated Mihai Manole, Managing Partner of Tema Energy, the conference organizer.
A major signal in this regard is the partnership announced in December 2025 between the investment fund Accelerated Infrastructure Capital (AIC) and the Romanian operator ClusterPower (an official NVIDIA DGX-Ready certified partner). This partnership aims to develop a multi-year project of up to 800 MW across two campuses in southwestern Romania. Additionally, the initiative to build the first AI Factory, developed by a consortium coordinated by ICI Bucharest, will help solidify Romania’s position in the industry. In parallel, several other projects are in advanced stages of licensing and approval, developed by both existing operators and real estate companies.
To highlight this trend, the 2026 edition of the DataCenter Forum—the largest event dedicated to data centers, AI, and cloud in Eastern Europe—will bring Rod Evans (Vice President of EMEA, NVIDIA) and Jonathan Berney (Founder and Managing Partner of AIC) to Bucharest. NVIDIA and AIC are flagship companies in the industry, providing the technological and financial backing for multi-billion dollar projects globally. A notable presence at the Forum is Mehdi Paryavi, President and CEO of the International Data Center Authority (IDCA), a global reference body that defines international standards for the design, operation, and security of data centers.
Now in its 8th edition, the DataCenter Forum is the premier event of its kind in CEE and will take place on May 7 in Bucharest. The conference brings together over 800 participants, including operators, technology providers, investors, and government representatives.
The event is held with the support of Diamond Partners: Schneider Electric, EnerSys, Vertiv, Legrand, and HiRef; and Gold Partners: Vodafone Business, Rittal, Pyralis Services, Orange Business, Cummins, EAE Elektrik, R&M (Reichle & De-Massari), Voxility, Johnson Controls, and Uniline TCS.
It will host a series of panels dedicated to analyzing the current local market status and, specifically, Romania’s opportunities to become a regional hub for digital infrastructure.
For more information about the event, visit: www.datacenter-forum.ro/en
