Commercial data centers are leaving the Moscow region for energy-surplus areas, and the Urals could be the main beneficiary of this shift. Dmitry Sredin, Senior Vice President of VTB, told TASS that the data center market in the federal district could grow 3-4 times by 2030 and enter the top three in the country.

The logic is simple: three-quarters of commercial data centers are concentrated in the capital, but there are no free capacities left there, and new technical connections are closed until 2028. The Ministry of Energy and Rosseti have already agreed on a reserve of 500 MW for the district, which is incomparably more than the current Ural base. The winning position is reinforced by a diversified energy system, high industrial demand for digitalization, and an affordable land price.

The calibration phase rigorously weeds out weak projects: according to the expert, funding for 38 out of 128 announced data centers in the country, totaling 168.6 billion rubles, has been postponed. However, with a decrease in the key rate in 2027-2028, these constructions will return, focusing not on Moscow, but on the regions. The Urals appears to be the most prepared to absorb the main impact of this investment reversal.