Russia Wants to Supercharge Its Digital Infrastructure. Here's How.
Tax breaks, data centers, and homegrown tech are at the heart of a bold national push.
Russia is gearing up for a digital infrastructure boom—and it’s bringing investors along for the ride. A new government-backed initiative aims to support companies willing to fund next-gen data centers built on domestic IT hardware. According to CNews, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Minpromtorg), together with the Ministry of Digital Development (MinTsifry), is working on legislative amendments that will expand the scope of Special Investment Contracts (SPICs) to cover digital infrastructure projects.
Under the proposed changes, companies would receive tax and regulatory incentives in exchange for localizing production and committing to major capital investment. This new tool—dubbed the “demand-based SPIC”—is designed specifically to stimulate the creation of data centers powered by Russian-made technologies.
In parallel, the Ministry of Digital Development plans to launch a voluntary national registry for data centers. Those who opt in will gain streamlined access to power grid connections and enjoy preferential electricity rates—an important perk for an energy-hungry industry.
With the rise of AI, big data, and cloud ecosystems, the demand for high-performance computing and data storage is only intensifying. These new incentives are meant to attract long-term investment, reduce operational costs, and solidify Russia’s ambitions to build a sovereign digital backbone—one server rack at a time.
