Technology
Cisco Chooses Kraków: Tech Giant to Build Major Data Center in Poland
Cisco Greenlights $56.5 Million Data Center in Kraków, Bolstering Polish Tech Hub
Cisco has officially confirmed it will build a 4MW data center in Kraków, Poland, following an agreement with the country's Ministry of Economic Development and Technology. Construction is slated to begin this July, with operations launching by the end of the summer. The $56.5 million (200 million PLN) facility will also house R&D laboratories dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence and sustainable development technologies. While specific details regarding compute capacity and staffing remain undisclosed, DCD has approached Cisco for further comment.
Strategic Expansion Anchored in Local Talent
The new facility represents a significant escalation of Cisco's already formidable presence in Poland's second city. Since first establishing operations in Kraków in 2012, the networking giant has opened both a global support center and a security operations center, cementing the city as the company's second-largest European office with nearly 3,000 employees. Jacek Przybylski, Cisco's senior director for CXC EMEA in Kraków, framed the investment as both operational and human: "Our new Kraków data center will become a cornerstone for consolidating and scaling Cisco's EMEA operations, enabling us to deliver next-generation solutions, validate complex architectures, and accelerate innovation." He added that the city's vibrant talent pool was central to the decision, describing the expansion as "an investment in people, supporting the development of world-class expertise in networking, cloud, security, automation, and artificial intelligence."
Civic Celebration and Global Recognition
Kraków Mayor Aleksander Miszalski welcomed the announcement with evident pride. "This decision shows that the competencies of Kraków specialists in the areas of networking, cloud, cybersecurity, automation, and AI are recognized and highly valued around the world," he said. The endorsement underscores the city's emergence as a genuine alternative to established European tech capitals—a shift validated by one of the world's largest infrastructure firms placing a multimillion-dollar bet on its future.
Renewable Energy Backbone Powers Expansion
Crucially, the Kraków expansion will be powered by renewable energy. Cisco has secured a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Polish renewable firm R.Power, acquiring 470GWh of solar energy. R.Power currently operates 1.7GW of completed and forthcoming projects across Europe, including a 164MW PPA with Amazon in Poland's Opole and West Pomeranian voivodships and an 11-year, 240GWh dPPA with Polish telecom Play in Wielkopolskie. Evan Scott Brown, Cisco's renewable energy and utilities manager, emphasized the synergy: "We are proud to support the growth of renewable energy in Europe through this partnership. This agreement not only aligns with Cisco's commitment to powering a more resilient future, but also directly supports operational needs, including the expansion of our lab facilities in Kraków."
