CRA has begun construction of Prague Gateway DC – the largest data centre in the region
Construction of the Prague Gateway data centre has begun on the outskirts of Prague, in the Jíloviště area. This facility is set to be one of the largest and most modern in the region, potentially as part of the AI Gigafactory project in the Czech Republic. Construction was officially launched by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Lukáš Vlček, and CRA’s CEO, Miloš Mastník.
Construction of the new data centre will take approximately two years. The first clients could start using it in 2027. "The digital world relies on data centres. Demand for parameters such as security, power consumption, and others, is also increasing. We are combining the best of what is currently available at Prague Gateway DC. We believe this will help Czech and foreign companies to keep pace with the rapid development of AI and other areas," says CRA CEO Miloš Mastník.
Construction will take place in several stages. Prague Gateway DC will serve clients with high power requirements and high operating standards. For example, to provide international services with high availability or for training language AI models.
"Artificial intelligence will fundamentally transform industry and services, and this development cannot happen without cutting-edge infrastructure, such as modern data centres. Prague Gateway DC will be one of the largest and most modern data centres in the region, which is why CRA is involved in the AI gigafactory project," says Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček. He added that the project would strengthen research, development, and industry in the field of AI and help the Czech Republic to enter the top 10 in line with the Economic Strategy.
In subsequent phases, Prague Gateway DC could become part of the AI Gigafactory project, consisting of large-scale facilities designed to provide capacity for the development and training of complex AI models. These facilities will integrate massive computing power. CRA submitted the project as part of the Project AIGF CZ initiative, and if successful, it would then function as the project coordinator.
"Together with CRA and with the support of the entire Czech AI community, we are doing our utmost to successfully complete the process with the European Commission. If one of the five AI Gigafactories is built in the Czech Republic, the country will become a permanent part of the European supercomputer backbone network and one of the centres of artificial intelligence in the Union. Our project is of remarkably high quality; we are negotiating intensively with the Commission and seeking support from other member states. I believe we can succeed," says Jan Kavalírek, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade and Government Commissioner for AI.
CRA is building the new data centre on its own land, which was previously used to operate AM radio transmitters. Prague Gateway DC will be one of the largest and most modern data centres in Central and Eastern Europe. It will have a total capacity of more than 2,000 racks in twelve data halls, with a total floor area of over 4,000 m2. A 26 MW power supply is provided for the data centre.
CRA already operates eight data centres in the Czech Republic, including sites in Prague's Žižkov and Strahov districts, as well as in Cukrák, Brno, Ostrava, Pardubice, Zlín, and Lužice.