Greece is poised to become the largest data hub in Southeast Europe, and the second largest in the Mediterranean, over the next five years, boosted by the addition of half a dozen new data centers and subsea cables that will transform the country into a digital gateway on the world’s information superhighway.

A new report by market research firm Arizton says that Greece’s data center market will grow at a cumulative average growth rate of almost 9% through 2028, to more than 150 MW of power capacity. In addition, at least six new high-speed telecommunications cables − two already in the works, one recently completed, and three more being planned – are also slated to link Greece with Asia, Europe and Africa.

“The market is witnessing significant investments due to the increasing adoption of cloud services, the advent of AI/ML technologies, and government support for data center development,” says the Arizton report.

The report comes just as Greece’s Council of State approved a new special zoning plan for major data center projects and also as Microsoft submitted its €1 billion investment plan in Greece. The Microsoft project envisions the development of three new data centers to be built near Athens International Airport.