18. 8. 2026
Across Europe, discussions on the need for sovereign computational infrastructure are becoming increasingly commonplace and increasingly pertinent. Innovations in AI and digitisation are causing computational demand to increase at record pace, while shifting geopolitical dynamics create unique implications for how, where, and by whom this tech is owned.
Securing available capacity is no longer as simple as finding an affordable, local, low-latency provider. Instead, thanks to recent regulations like the U.S. AI Act or the EU's NIS2 Directive, European companies, startups, and developers must think critically about where they are housing and processing their data so that it will be secure and sovereign, not at the mercy of prying foreign entities.
Nonetheless, European-owned and –operated digital infrastructure remains relatively scarce, placing an onus on European tech providers to build up this critical infrastructure soon.
At least on the Czech scene, Prague Gateway DC is a major step in the right direction. PGDC is still the highest capacity data centre under construction in the country and will represent a massive increase in current computing power. Based on one projection from Mordor Intelligence, Prague Gateway's 26 MW capacity alone will represent a 17% increase in national compute capacity and is estimated to comprise 84% of overall data centre market growth in the Czech Republic by 2030.
Says Jan Kavalírek, Director of EU AI Affairs at CRA, "We need sovereign data centre and cloud solutions in Europe not only for AI compute, but also for the secure storage and processing of our strategic data. Today, around 85% of the European cloud market is served by non-European providers, which makes it essential to strengthen our resilience, reduce critical dependencies and build our own infrastructure. Prague Gateway DC is therefore a key project not only for the future digital capacity of the Czech Republic, but also for the broader Central and Eastern European region. "
And the potential for Prague Gateway DC doesn't stop there. The facility will also be outfitted with more powerful, higher density racks with inputs ranging from 11-22 kW each, will thus be more AI-capable, and is being built with explicit potential for expansion and upgrades.
As of this week, the Czech government has also officially approved a proposal to build one of the EU's incoming AI Gigafactories, for which the PGDC site is a contender. Pending selection by the European Commission, upgrading PGDC to an AI Gigafactory would mean even greater capacity, power, and density for continental-level workloads.