AWS's Kozani Site Targets 1 GW for AI Cloud Demand

For AI and machine learning teams, data center site selection is increasingly a compute availability problem. A 300 MW campus expandable to 1 GW could host large-scale training and inference clusters, while the former lignite site offers potential access to renewable power — a key constraint for AI workloads under sustainability mandates.

The planned Amazon Web Services data center in Kozani, Greece, has gained high-level political backing, with Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis publicly framing the project as a defining investment not just for Western Macedonia but for the entire country. Speaking after a visit to the region days after Greece's state-controlled power utility DEI announced its partnership with AWS, Hatzidakis outlined a phased infrastructure build that could eventually rank among Europe's largest data center developments. The first phase is designed to deliver 300 megawatts of capacity, with potential expansion to as much as 1 gigawatt. Under the agreement, Amazon assumes responsibility for the technical equipment and internal infrastructure, while DEI provides the site and broader energy context. This division of labor signals a strategic alignment between a legacy European utility undergoing transformation and one of the world's dominant hyperscale cloud providers.

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The Kozani facility will be sited at the former Agios Dimitrios lignite complex, a symbol of Western Macedonia's long dependence on coal.

The project's location is central to its significance. The Kozani facility will be sited at the former Agios Dimitrios lignite complex, a symbol of Western Macedonia's long dependence on coal. For decades, the region's economy revolved around lignite mining and coal-fired generation. As Greece accelerates its decarbonization agenda, the repurposing of former mining infrastructure into digital and renewable energy hubs has become a policy priority. Hatzidakis explicitly tied the AWS deal to DEI's own turnaround, recalling that when he became environment and energy minister in 2019 he found a company "on the edge of a cliff." The partnership therefore functions as both an industrial revival mechanism and a credibility marker for Greece's just transition strategy. The broader plan involves converting coal-dependent territory into a center for renewable energy and digital infrastructure, with the AWS data center as the anchor investment.

Employment projections bring the labor market dimension into focus. Hatzidakis estimated that the initial 300-megawatt phase would create roughly 400 to 500 jobs, concentrated among scientists and specialized technical staff. If the project reaches its full 1,000-megawatt potential, employment could climb to around 1,500 workers. These figures, while not yet independently verified through formal hiring plans, reflect a meaningful scale for a region that has lost thousands of lignite-related jobs during the energy transition. The skills profile is also notable: data center operations demand expertise in electrical engineering, cooling systems, network architecture, security, and increasingly AI-related infrastructure management. Western Macedonia's ability to supply this labor will depend on retraining programs, university collaboration, and the willingness of skilled workers to relocate to a region that has historically struggled with youth outmigration.