Ground broken on EUR 18 million data centre in Maribor

Addressing the event, Prime Minister Robert Golob said it was this project that he had in mind when he told a UN summit in New York in September that the future would be shaped by countries capable of linking science, technology and solidarity.

The project of the ARNES data centre in Maribor will combine data collection, supercomputing capacity and an artificial intelligence factory, he said.

He noted its sustainability component; located in the vicinity of a hydro power station, it will be driven by clean energy, while excess heat that it will produce will be used to provide district heating to Maribor.

After Maribor thrived on exploiting the Drava River, which drove its industry in the past, today's event "marks the beginning of a new era when the Drava again drives Maribor's development - this time in the field of knowledge, AI and a better future for our country".

The data centre will be owned by the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (ARNES), which had bought the plot from DEM, the state-owned company operating hydro power stations on the Drava.

The facility, which will also feature a solar power plant, will be built by NTR Inženiring in partnership with Advant and Energovat at the cost of EUR 18.1 million including VAT. EUR 11.8 million will come from recovery and resilience funds.

The deadline for the completion of the centre is 31 July 2026.

The centre will provide key infrastructure for the creation of the Slovenian AI Factory, a project valued at EUR 150 million for which the EU budget will chip in EUR 67.5 million.

It was selected for co-funding by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) along with AI factories in twelve other EU countries.

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Igor Papič said the planned supercomputer on the location would provide key infrastructure to make Slovenian scientists more competitive.

This will be the second supercomputer in Slovenia's second largest city after Vega. That supercomputer has significantly boosted the interest in Slovenian researchers in various European projects, and the new capabilities are expected to enhance that further.

Minister Papič noted the project's huge importance for the economy, especially for high-tech companies, and its sustainability.

Apart from hosting a supercomputer and an AI factory, the data centre will also store research data required by open science. It will also host research institutions with their own equipment, ARNES director Marko Bonač said.

He thanked government officials for including the centre in the Slovenian Recovery and Resilience Plan, and DEM for enabling them to acquire protected land that will allow a direct connection to the Mariborski Otok power plant, thus providing a reliable and environmentally friendly source of electricity.