Poland's NASK to build 15MW national data center as costs hit $411m

Poland's state research institute NASK will build a 15MW data center to host the country's most critical digital services, with the first phase of the National Data Processing Center (KCPD) program now capped at PLN 1.6 billion ($411m) — up from PLN 1 billion just a year ago.

The facility appears to be the first of three data centers originally planned under the KCPD banner, though NASK's announcement left that point vague. DCD has approached the organization for clarification. Neither the site's physical size nor its construction cost has been disclosed.

What will the center actually run?

The KCPD will house and protect public-facing government services, including e-prescriptions and mObywatel, the national digital wallet. Radosław Nielek, NASK's director, framed the project as a continuity play rather than a prestige build.

"The digital services we use every day must be backed by reliable infrastructure," Nielek said in a statement. "We are building the National Data Processing Center precisely to ensure the continuity of these services."

The facility will connect to an approximately 200-kilometer (124-mile) fiber-optic network. NASK says the modular design will allow expansion as demand grows — a sensible hedge, given how the project's budget has behaved.

Why has the timeline slipped?

First announced in 2022, the KCPD plan called for three separate data centers linked by fiber and built to the EN 50600 standard, with construction scheduled for 2024 to 2026. A cancelled procurement round delayed that schedule. The cost, meanwhile, climbed from PLN 1 billion (then $280m) in 2025 to this year's PLN 1.6 billion ceiling for the first phase alone. According to CRN's reporting, all three data centers are now expected to be completed by 2029.

That's a three-year delay and a 60% budget increase before a single rack goes live. Anyone who has watched European public-sector IT procurement will find the pattern familiar.

What about the energy angle?

NASK is pairing the compute with some ambitious reuse plans. Waste heat from the servers will drive heat pumps and could warm buildings outside the facility — district heating by data center, essentially. The site will also incorporate solar panels which, the organization claims, can generate green hydrogen to support the facility's power supply.

The hydrogen claim sits squarely in the marketing column for now. No figures on panel capacity, hydrogen volumes or heat-reuse output accompanied the announcement.

Who is NASK?

Founded in 1991, the Scientific and Academic Computer Network operates under Poland's Ministry of Digital Affairs. Beyond researching public applications for IoT, AI and biometrics, it also helps defend Polish government online services against cyberattacks — a role that has grown more visible as attacks on European public infrastructure have intensified.

The KCPD gives that mission a physical backbone: sovereign, redundant hosting for services millions of Poles touch weekly.

With NASK yet to confirm whether this announcement covers one site or kick-starts all three, and completion now pegged for 2029, the next concrete milestone will be the procurement that actually breaks ground.