Poland AI and cloud demand drives growth in European data centre market

By the end of 2026, the fastest-growing segment is expected to be data centres that hyperscalers build for their own use. Capacity in this segment is forecast to rise 22 pct year on year. That would be the 17th consecutive year of double-digit growth in European hyperscaler self-build capacity.

The colocation segment, where operators provide data centre space to other companies, is expected to grow by 18 pct to 8.7 GW by the end of the year, making it larger than the self-build segment.

Investment is moving beyond the largest markets

Europe added 685 MW of new data centre capacity in Q2 2026, almost three times as much as in Q1. Some 37 pct came in the largest FLAPD markets – Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin – while the remaining 63 pct came from other European locations. Smaller and secondary markets therefore accounted for most of the new capacity.

Demand for data centre capacity reached 260 MW during the quarter, broadly unchanged from Q1. For the first time, more than half of demand, 55 pct, came from markets outside FLAPD. As power becomes harder to secure, locations where it is easier to obtain are becoming increasingly attractive.

Investors are increasingly choosing locations where they can secure the power they need more easily and quickly. This is a good time to strengthen Poland’s position in the data centre sector. Poland could benefit from this trend if it can offer investors sites with enough power available. For data centres, access to power is one of the most important criteria when choosing where to invest.
Agnieszka Jankowska, director, advisory & transaction services, data centre, CBRE

Poland’s data centre market currently has around 200 MW of capacity, which CBRE expects could grow to 500 MW by 2030. Most data centres will continue to be around Warsaw, but investors are increasingly looking at regional locations too. Projects with capacity of 5–10 MW in central areas of regional capitals could also attract interest. Investors generally look for more power at sites farther from major cities. The key advantage is access to two independent power sources, regardless of the site’s grid connection capacity.

Data centres are being built for AI

Artificial intelligence remains one of the main drivers of data centre growth. European companies are increasing their demand for AI-related services. In the first six months of 2026, neocloud providers contracted 420 MW of capacity from data centre operators, up from 89 MW in the same period of 2025. That is more than four times as much.

Companies that provide AI computing services, often referred to as neoclouds, are signing increasingly large contracts with data centre operators to secure the power they need. Operators are also becoming more willing to accept the terms and security arrangements involved. This is a clear change from the situation two years ago, when they were much more cautious about working with neoclouds.
Agnieszka Jankowska, CBRE

Most capacity contracted by neoclouds or planned for neocloud developments is in the Nordic countries, where renewable energy is often more readily available and cheaper than elsewhere in Europe.

Poland is seeking to reduce electricity costs and increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix by expanding renewable generation and investing in nuclear power, including nuclear power plants and small modular reactors (SMRs).

Neoclouds currently account for a significant part of the AI data centre market, but other segments have different location and power requirements. All types of data centre need access to power from two independent sources.

Access to power holds back data centre growth

In Q2 2026, the colocation vacancy rate in the FLAPD region fell to just under 8 pct, from 8.3 pct in Q1. Across the rest of Europe, the rate is higher and could reach 19 pct by the end of the year.

Limited access to power remains a barrier to data centre growth across Europe.