Romania, sixth most attractive in Europe for data center investments

Romania is the sixth most attractive European destination for data center investments in Europe, right after the Nordics and Netherlands, according to a report by real estate consultancy firm Savills. Savills has identified the best locations in Europe in which to invest, bench-marking 20 countries against 12 indicators crucial to the development of data centers, including average annual temperature, the availability of fresh water per capita, political instability, cybersecurity, the electricity production per capita and electricity price, the average internet speed and the FTTH/B (fiber to home / fiber to building) penetration rate. The report points out that the geographical distribution of data centers could change soon, as the demand for data storage is surging and these facilities no longer have to be located close to their clients but can be located in countries where clean energy is abundant and cheap as long as connectivity is safe and fast. “Romania has seen an accelerated development from the perspective of the IT & C industry, backed by the market entry of renowned companies (Amazon, Fitbit) and by the expansion of existing major players (Microsoft, HP). From this perspective, the rise of investment in data centers will just be a matter of time and they will probably target Bucharest and IT hubs such as Cluj, Timisoara, Iasi,” said Codrin Matei, Managing Partner and Head of Capital Markets for real estate consultancy firm Crosspoint in Romania. editor@romania-insider.com