“One of the biggest indicators of the huge regional and global potential and high technical and security quality of the future State Data Centre in Kragujevac is the interest of the global IT giants in using the commercial capacities of this centre. Our intention is to jointly establish and exploit the infrastructure within the State Data Centre (cloud systems, data security systems, etc.) and to use new technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, and blockchain for the purpose of eGovernment development. If large IT companies decide to open their data centres in Serbia, it would be of great importance for the further development of the ICT sector in Serbia”, said Jovanović.
The beginning of July this year marked the commencement of the construction of the State Data Centre in Kragujevac, which will be one of the 10 most energy efficient data centres in the world and will be fully owned by the Republic of Serbia. It will have a maximum capacity of 1,180 rack cabinets, which is 5 times more than the existing Data Centre in Belgrade. Data centre in Kragujevac will be ready to meet the highest technical standard of reliability, Tier 4. The value of the investment in the first phase is €30 million, and the construction will last for one year.
This infrastructure project of national importance will ensure systematic and faster construction of eGovernment information systems, more efficient connection of different databases and development of different eGovernment services for citizens, business and the state. In addition to the benefits for the citizens of Serbia whose data will be stored in accordance with the highest global standards, the construction of this data centre also enables the arrival of the largest global IT companies and the engagement of hundreds of domestic IT personnel.
“As far as personnel is concerned, from the perspective of the Office, in Kragujevac we will need directly about 30 highly skilled personnel in the fields of IT, mechanical and energy engineering. When it comes to commercial customers, however, we expect the additional need for IT professionals who would work to develop, implement, and maintain large commercial customers' cloud systems. This certainly means that in the ICT sector, Kragujevac will become one of the most important centres in Serbia, but also in the region”, Jovanović added.