Image source: Facebook/Ivan Celjak

A planned $58.5 billion (€50 billion) hyperscale AI data center campus in Croatia is expected to significantly increase demand for high-voltage transformers and advanced power infrastructure, as developers scale systems to support AI-driven workloads.

The project, led by Pantheon Atlas and known as Pantheon AI, will be built in Topusko, near Zagreb, integrating 500 MW of on-site solar generation with a 2,000 MW / 8,000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). This combination will require extensive transformer deployment to manage voltage conversion, grid integration, and reliable power distribution across the campus.

Plans include four 400-kV transmission lines, enabling up to 5.2 GW of additional renewable capacity to connect to the national grid. Such infrastructure relies heavily on step-up and step-down transformers, as well as substation systems capable of handling high loads typical of hyperscale data centers.

Local firms including Končar Group, Dalekovod Projekt, and Ravel Ltd. are involved in transmission and substation development, underscoring the central role of transformer technology in the project.

Construction of the initial $14 billion (€12 billion) phase is expected to begin in 2027, with operations targeted for 2029.

As global AI data center demand accelerates, projects of this scale are expected to drive increased investment in next-generation transformers, particularly solutions designed for efficiency, reliability, and renewable integration.

Source: ess-news.com