Polish companies want to build an AI gigafactory. Two projects are taking shape

“A CERN for AI” – that was how Ursula von der Leyen described Europe’s planned artificial-intelligence gigafactories when she unveiled the InvestAI initiative in February 2025. The vast investment program envisaged the creation of a number of huge data centers across Europe. The European Commission and EuroHPC want to select up to seven such facilities. The initiative is to receive up to EUR 10 billion in EU and national funding. It is also expected to mobilize at least EUR 20 billion in private capital. Ultimately, the facilities are expected to have computing capacity equivalent to 75,000–100,000 GPUs.

Poland was meant to be one of the players in this effort. Such ambitions were declared a year ago by the Ministry of Digital Affairs, headed by Krzysztof Gawkowski and Dariusz Standerski. Among other things, a large working group was set up, bringing together several hundred companies and institutions from across Central Europe.

Unfortunately, in November and December 2025 the European Commission changed its approach to the initiative. The program is now aimed not at countries but at private consortia. On July 30, EuroHPC launched the formal tender; private consortia can submit bids until November 12, 2026. Contracts with the winners are expected to be signed in early 2027, with the gigafactories due to come online in 2028.

Does that spell the end of Poland’s AI-gigafactory ambitions? No. According to our information, at least two Polish companies are actively assessing whether to submit bids. One is DL Invest, founded and developed by Dominik Leszczyński. The other is Beyond.pl, led by Wojciech Stramski and owned by Kulczyk Investments, the investment fund controlled by Sebastian Kulczyk.

Here are the details of their plans.

DL Invest wants to build

Property developer DL Invest has been expanding into digital infrastructure and AI-related projects for more than two years. As we reported in May, the company is planning another major acquisition and is pushing further into the data-center market. At the heart of its technology business is DL Invest Park Bielsko-Biała in the south of the country.

“We see this segment as a natural extension of our presence in commercial real estate, particularly in the industrial and manufacturing sector. That is why I can confirm that we are working on participating in the European AI Gigafactories program and are ready to compete to bring one such project to Poland,” says Dominik Leszczyński, founder and CEO of DL Invest.

Where DL Invest plans to invest

DL Invest has its sights set on an investment in Bielsko-Biała. The project could also be developed in cooperation with other companies.

“At one of our locations, we are already working to secure the necessary power capacity. We are talking about post-industrial sites with existing infrastructure that can be modernized and adapted to new functions. This is, in fact, one of Poland’s advantages. We have many industrial areas that can be transformed into modern technology and industrial parks, combining digital infrastructure with the development of new capabilities and services,” says Dominik Leszczyński.

DL Invest also says it is ready to work with other Polish companies on such a project.

“We are prepared to carry out a project of this kind jointly with other Polish companies as well, so that a broader domestic ecosystem can be built around it,” the company’s CEO says.

It is not just about public money

Dominik Leszczyński stresses that he does not see potential participation in the AI gigafactory project simply as an opportunity to secure public funding.

“We do not look at the gigafactory solely through the prism of public money. After all, this program is not about a straightforward subsidy, but, among other things, about guaranteeing demand for part of the computing capacity,” says the head of DL Invest.

He adds that current market conditions mean computing infrastructure already has a large pool of potential users.

“Demand for computing power is already very strong today. From our perspective, the greatest value would come from putting Poland on the map of Europe’s AI infrastructure and creating the country’s first large, independent hub that could be used by companies, public institutions, research organizations and European entities. Such a project could become a foundation for attracting further investment and additional users of computing capacity to Poland,” Dominik Leszczyński stresses.

DL Invest is not waiting for the gigafactory alone

At the same time, the company stresses that the outcome of the European selection process will not determine whether it continues investing in data centers.

“We are not making our plans contingent on the outcome of this process. It will be a multi-stage procedure, administratively complex, and it is difficult at this point to say when it will ultimately be completed. We, meanwhile, want to continue developing data centers and digital infrastructure regardless of what happens with this particular program,” says the head of DL Invest.

Beyond.pl wants to get involved

Beyond.pl also has concrete plans related to the European program.

“Beyond.pl has been involved in work on the AI gigafactory project for more than a year and, of course, we are interested in its implementation. We should remember, however, that the terms of the call were only announced in July this year and differ from the original assumptions. The role of national governments in selecting partners has been reduced, with that responsibility transferred to EuroHPC,” says Wojciech Stramski, CEO of Beyond.pl.

Beyond.pl has not yet decided whether it will ultimately enter the tender. There are several reasons for this.

“We are currently conducting a detailed analysis of the tender conditions. We have assembled a team of advisers and lawyers who are reviewing the tender documentation and possible models of cooperation with partners. At this stage, no final decisions have yet been made on whether to submit a bid or on the structure of the entities that might participate in it. We are, however, working to bring the project to the point where submitting such a bid will be possible,” Wojciech Stramski says.

Above all, the gigafactory has to make financial sense

The head of Beyond.pl points out that, for a project measured in billions of euros, investors’ willingness to take part will not be enough on its own. The financing structure will be crucial, followed by the ability to attract commercial customers.

“From our perspective, this project must first and foremost make financial sense. A willingness to participate is not enough. The financing structure is key. Given the scale of investment discussed by the European Union – around EUR 3–5 billion per project – it is difficult to assume that the entire undertaking could be financed with private capital. External financial institutions will have to be involved, and they too will need to accept the project structure and the terms of the undertaking,” says the head of Beyond.pl.

In his view, everything ultimately comes down to market demand.

“In practice, financing the project boils down to a very basic question: will there be external customers willing to pay the right price for the service on offer?” the CEO of Beyond.pl stresses.

There may be several bids

Wojciech Stramski also does not assume that a single broad alliance will emerge on the Polish side to represent the country in the tender. In his view, a more likely scenario is that several groups will compete for the project.

“I would not assume that a single consortium will be formed to submit a bid. Several competing groups of entities will probably submit offers, particularly because the tender itself is designed to ensure competition both in the assessment of the projects and in the quality of the services offered,” says the head of Beyond.pl.

He adds that the tender conditions do not require the creation of a very broad consortium.

“Importantly, the tender conditions do not require a bid to be submitted by a broad consortium of many companies. Of course, a larger alliance may find it easier to raise capital. Entities with experience in financing this type of infrastructure operate primarily in the more developed markets of Western Europe and the United States, and they expect scale,” Wojciech Stramski says.

What is holding back the gigafactories

At the end of August this year, Employers of Poland sent a letter to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski, calling for legislative action to help enable the development of an AI gigafactory project. We obtained a copy of the document.

In the letter, business representatives point to several barriers that make it difficult to prepare large-scale data-center investments. The first concerns energy: grid connections and electricity prices themselves. Another is demand for computing capacity, particularly from the public administration, where demand is uncoordinated and fragmented. In countries such as France and Italy, the public sector helps sustain high and stable demand. A third fundamental barrier is the length of the investment process. Under Polish conditions, legal issues mean that developing a gigafactory would take four to six years. The EuroHPC program, meanwhile, assumes a maximum of 18 months.

The document also sets out eight specific proposals, together with suggested legislative changes. These are based on solutions adopted in France. One example is the introduction of a statutory category of strategic investment in data-center infrastructure, which would provide a special regulatory pathway for new projects. Other proposals include priority access to the power grid and a guaranteed deadline for such connections. Employers of Poland is also calling for data-center operators to be granted energy-intensive consumer status and access to long-term energy contracts.

The organization is also urging the authorities to act as quickly as possible, given the approaching deadline for applications to the AI gigafactory program.

Business spells out what it needs for AI gigafactories

According to the head of DL Invest, one of the biggest challenges in investments of this scale is not attracting capital itself, but the pace of the investment process.

“Digital infrastructure needs to be treated as strategic infrastructure, and there should be a single mechanism coordinating administrative, energy and grid-related issues,” says Dominik Leszczyński.

Today, preparing a large project requires parallel consultations with multiple entities.

“An investor has to coordinate the project with numerous institutions: from local governments and authorities issuing administrative decisions, through local grid operators, to PSE,” says the head of DL Invest.

The solution, he argues, would be to simplify and coordinate the entire process—for example, through a ‘one-stop shop’ system.

AI matters for industry, too

In DL Invest’s view, the stakes go beyond the development of the data-center market itself. Computing infrastructure is set to become one of the pillars of Poland’s future economic competitiveness.

“In the long term, the Polish economy cannot compete on labor costs alone,” says Dominik Leszczyński.

In his view, the growing role of automation and artificial intelligence will also change the conditions in which industry operates.

“Automation, robotization and the use of artificial intelligence will determine the efficiency of industry and its ability to keep production in Europe,” Dominik Leszczyński says.

According to DL Invest, another dimension of investment in AI infrastructure concerns security and control over critical technological infrastructure. As Dominik Leszczyński notes, a growing number of critical areas rely on cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

“There is a fundamental difference between using these technologies through infrastructure that lies outside our control and having that infrastructure in Poland and Europe, financed and developed to the greatest extent possible by European and Polish entities,” says Dominik Leszczyński.

He argues that Poland now has a window of opportunity – and that it would be a shame to squander it without changes in the state’s approach to supporting investment.

Winning the tender is only the first step

According to Wojciech Stramski, the real challenge will begin only after the EU tender has been decided. The entity that emerges will have to attract commercial customers and compete not only with other European gigafactories, but also with global providers of AI infrastructure.

“We should remember that the entity created today will not only have to win the EU tender, but above all secure off-take from commercial customers. Those customers, in turn, will choose not only among the European AI gigafactories selected in the tender, but also among global AI service providers that are already active in this market,” says the head of Beyond.pl.

“From the outset, the offering must be competitive in terms of quality, price and flexibility – not only when the project launches, but also three to five or even ten years from now,” Wojciech Stramski stresses.

Technology will not stand still

One of the biggest challenges will be the pace of technological change. Infrastructure built today will have to support hardware and software that may look very different in the years ahead.

“Flexibility is particularly important in our sector. The largest manufacturers, including NVIDIA, are working on successive generations of hardware, while software is evolving rapidly in parallel. A gigafactory project must therefore be designed from the outset to allow its infrastructure and services to adapt to changing technologies and customer needs,” says the head of Beyond.pl.

In his view, the ability to upgrade continuously will be one of the prerequisites for remaining competitive.

“Only in this way will the project be able to remain competitive over a decade and beyond. The success of a gigafactory therefore cannot be measured solely by whether the infrastructure is built and services are provided for the public sector,” Wojciech Stramski says.

Public-sector demand will not be enough

Wojciech Stramski stresses that the public sector will account for only a small share of the infrastructure’s utilization. The vast majority of capacity will have to find commercial customers.

“The remaining capacity will have to be sold to commercial customers on market terms, while competing with other EU gigafactories and the largest global players, which will not necessarily be subject to the same constraints as projects developed with public funding,” says Wojciech Stramski.

In the view of Beyond.pl’s CEO, this will be the ultimate test of the entire undertaking. Building the infrastructure is only the beginning. The gigafactory will then have to prove that it can operate in a competitive market and attract customers regardless of the support mechanisms it benefited from at the outset.

Beyond.pl also says that its current investment strategy does not depend on the outcome of the EU process.

“Regardless of this project, we are consistently pursuing our existing investment plans in Poznań, expanding the infrastructure of our AI Factory and increasing our capacity to meet growing demand for GPU computing power,” Wojciech Stramski concludes.

Key Takeaways

1. Poland still has a chance to take part in Europe’s AI gigafactory program, even though the European Commission has changed the rules and shifted the burden of participation from national governments to private consortia. DL Invest says it is ready to compete for a project in Bielsko-Biała, while Beyond.pl is analyzing the tender conditions and possible models of cooperation. The deadline for bids is November 12, 2026, and the selected gigafactories are scheduled to become operational in 2028.
2. The biggest challenge for potential Polish investors is not simply access to capital. The main barriers concern energy, the ability to secure grid connections quickly, electricity prices and the length of administrative procedures. According to Employers of Poland, developing such a project in Poland could take four to six years, whereas the EU program envisages a much shorter timetable. Business groups are therefore calling, among other things, for a special status for strategic data-center investments, priority grid connections and simplified procedures.
3. Securing EuroHPC support and building the gigafactory alone will not determine its success. A project estimated to be worth EUR 3–5 billion will need to attract a sufficient number of commercial customers and compete on price, quality and flexibility with other European facilities and global providers of AI infrastructure. Another challenge will be the rapid pace of technological change, which will require continuous upgrades to hardware, infrastructure and services.