Data infrastructure is becoming an increasingly important part of national security. Poland currently has less than 250 MW of data-centre capacity, but transmission system operator PSE expects demand to rise above 3 GW by 2036 and reach around 5 GW by 2040. That growth will sharply increase electricity consumption, while also creating new opportunities for the energy system and the wider digital economy.
Krystian Pypłacz of the Polish Data Center Association (PLDCA) told Newseria that the digital economy is now a growth engine for virtually every sector. If computing infrastructure is not located in Poland, companies may be forced to store and process strategic data abroad, reducing the country’s economic and technological autonomy.
According to a PLDCA report prepared with PwC Poland, the data-centre sector generated PLN 10.6 billion in gross value added in 2025 and PLN 4.3 billion in fiscal revenues. It also supported almost 41,000 jobs across the economy.
Brussels wants more European computing capacity
The expansion of computing infrastructure is also a key element of the EU’s proposed Cloud and AI Development Act, presented in June 2026. The plan aims to at least triple data-centre capacity in the European Union over the next five to seven years and build enough capacity by 2035 to meet the needs of European companies and public institutions.
More than 70% of the European cloud market is currently controlled by three non-EU providers. The European Commission has warned that this dependence can create legal, jurisdictional and service-continuity risks, particularly where foreign governments may have access rights to data.
Under the EU Cloud Sovereignty Framework, data location is only one factor. The Commission assesses providers across 48 criteria in eight areas, including legal jurisdiction, data and AI control, security, supply chains, ownership structures and technological autonomy.
Data centres could use 29.4 TWh of electricity by 2040
PSE’s grid development plan for 2027–2036 assumes that data centres in Poland could consume 17.4 TWh of electricity in 2036 and 29.4 TWh in 2040. The Polish Economic Institute estimates that they could account for about 7% of national electricity demand in 2036 and as much as 11% in 2040.
That demand is already being factored into grid investment. PSE plans to build 4,960 kilometres of new 400 kV transmission lines by 2036 and modernise 1,613 kilometres of existing 400 kV circuits. Planned expenditure under the 2027–2036 programme amounts to PLN 68.2 billion.
Large data centres can also support the grid
Although data centres are energy-intensive, the sector argues that they can also help stabilise the power system. Their electricity consumption is relatively predictable and continuous, which can make them useful buyers of renewable power during periods of high output. At the same time, facilities equipped with backup generation and flexible-load systems may be able to reduce grid demand temporarily when the system is under stress.
Pypłacz said this makes digital and energy infrastructure increasingly interdependent. Data centres need reliable power, while long-term power-purchase agreements from large digital operators can support investment in new renewable generation.
According to PLDCA, around 87% of data centres already have contracted green energy.
AI is accelerating global electricity demand
The International Energy Agency estimates that global electricity consumption by data centres rose 17% in 2025, while consumption by AI-focused facilities increased by around 50%. In its base-case scenario, total sector demand is expected to rise from 485 TWh in 2025 to about 950 TWh in 2030 and more than 1,200 TWh in 2035.
For AI-oriented data centres alone, electricity use is projected to triple between 2025 and 2030. The IEA expects renewables and nuclear power to supply most of the additional European demand, with their combined share of electricity used by data centres potentially reaching 85% by 2030.
For Poland, the challenge is therefore no longer simply whether data-centre capacity will grow, but how quickly energy networks, generation capacity and sovereignty rules can adjust to that growth.
Source: Newseria; PLDCA; PwC Poland; PSE; European Commission; International Energy Agency.
