While Europe is rapidly building data centers and investing billions in digital infrastructure, we are still debating whether we even need such projects. In the meantime, our engineers are working on these very projects, but in Germany, Austria and other countries.
The question that arises is simple: why wouldn't Europe's servers operate from Montenegro?
Data centers are the new industrial facilities of the modern age. Just as factories once shaped the economy, today they are the facilities where data is stored and processed. Behind every banking transaction, every online purchase, and every digital service is a physical infrastructure that must operate without interruption.
Already today, a large part of the data of our citizens and companies is stored outside the borders of Montenegro. When we use social networks, cloud services or digital platforms, our data is most often processed in large European centers, such as those in Ireland, where the capacities of global technology companies are located. These countries recognized the potential of this industry in time and created the conditions to attract investments, new jobs and long-term income.
Montenegro has shown interest in building a state-owned data center. Feasibility studies and financing models have been mentioned, but the project has not yet reached a concrete conclusion. This is where the space for a serious development decision opens up.
This is not just a single facility for administrative purposes. It is about the possibility of Montenegro becoming a regional destination for the construction of multiple modern data centers, state-owned or publicly-privately owned, which would rent part of their capacity to companies from the European Union. This would provide a safe place for our own data, but also create a new industry that generates revenue and strengthens the economy.
In Germany, where the concentration of data centers is among the largest in Europe, the costs of land, construction and electricity are extremely high. An investor there pays significantly more for each square meter and each kilowatt than would be the case in Montenegro. Lower construction and operational costs here mean a faster return on investment and long-term competitiveness. This is an advantage that we should not ignore.
In addition, we have what cannot be bought quickly, and that is people. Our engineers are already designing and maintaining systems of the highest reliability level throughout Europe. They know the standards, technologies and procedures. If we can build and maintain such centers in Frankfurt, why not do it in Podgorica, Nikšić or in the north of the country, where such a project could kick-start the entire local economy?
By building several data centers owned by the state or through a serious partnership with the private sector, we would get a multiple effect. We would improve national security because key systems would be under our control. We would open new, highly qualified jobs. We would create conditions for European companies to use our capacities. And the investment itself, through the rental of space and services, would have the potential to pay off in the long term.
While we read in the newspapers every day about political gridlock, party squabbles and borrowing to plug budget holes, there is rarely any talk about how to open up new industries and create long-term value. We spend too much energy on the past and too little on what is coming. We don't live from the past, but we can learn a lot from it if we see it as a lesson, not as a place where we will remain stuck.
Europe will continue to build data centers for decades to come. The demand for data processing will not fall, but rather grow. The question is whether we will continue to export knowledge and import services, or whether we will decide to become a country where European data finds its home.
The author has a Master of Business Administration degree with experience in telecommunications.
Bonus video:
