Pantheon Atlas Unveils $58.5 Billion AI Data Center in Croatia, Powered by 8 GWh Battery Storage
April 29, 2026
Pantheon Atlas Unveils $58.5 Billion AI Data Center in Croatia, Powered by 8 GWh Battery Storage
Transatlantic investment group Pantheon Atlas has announced plans for a €50 billion ($58.5 billion) hyperscale AI data center campus in central Croatia, marking one of the largest private U.S. investments in Europe and the single biggest investment in Croatian history. The project, named Pantheon AI, will be located in Topusko, approximately 45 minutes south of Zagreb, on a 310-acre site with potential expansion to 450 acres.
The campus is designed to meet NVIDIA GW-Scale AI factory standards and will be anchored by a 500 MW behind-the-meter solar plant paired with a 2,000 MW / 8,000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). In addition, four independent 400-kV transmission lines are planned to support up to 5.2 GW of new renewable capacity onto Croatia’s national grid. The project also includes four independent optic fiber routes across three EU corridors, with the GreenMed subsea cable extending connectivity to Milan by 2028.
Croatia’s grid already draws nearly 52% of its electricity from renewables, with nuclear generation contributing another 15%, and electricity prices remain below European averages. Portugal’s Greenvolt International Power has signed a letter of intent to build the solar-plus-storage component. Construction of the initial €12 billion phase is scheduled to begin in early 2027 and is expected to be fully operational by the first quarter of 2029.
Local electrical and energy firm Končar Group will support substation development, Dalekovod Projekt will lead transmission design, and Ravel Ltd. will handle substation design. Advisory partners include Eastdil Secured, Parsec Lab, Latham & Watkins, Hodgson Russ, PwC, and KPMG. The project is expected to create 1,500 permanent jobs and 3,000 construction roles.
Ryan Rich, managing partner of Pantheon AI, emphasized the strategic importance of the project for Europe. “We have assembled a transatlantic partnership to solve one of the most pressing challenges in global digital infrastructure: enabling hyperscale operators to meet AI-driven demand at scale,” he said. “We have lined up the power, fiber, regulatory stability, and institutional support to solve that problem in Europe, and we will establish Croatia and Central Europe as a premier destination for world-class digital infrastructure.”
Jako Andabak, founding partner of Pantheon AI, highlighted the local engagement behind the initiative. “Pantheon AI is a signal to the world that Croatia is open for the highest-caliber investment,” Andabak said. “This project is the culmination of years of work to bring world-class digital infrastructure to Croatia, and we have assembled the deep local expertise, grid relationships, and regulatory groundwork required to meet demand for data center capacity.”
The development underscores a broader trend of hyperscale AI infrastructure moving into regions with strong renewable energy resources and competitive electricity costs, positioning Croatia as an emerging hub for digital infrastructure in Central Europe.
Source: ess-news
