From long-term data storage to capacity for powerful supercomputers
The data centre is under development in the context of the need for a national infrastructure for open science. It will address the challenge of long-term storage of research data, which will provide Arnes with a robust and scalable platform to support the implementation of the FAIR, enhancing discoverability, accessibility, interoperability and reuse/management of data. Access to cutting-edge international research infrastructure is essential for the advancement of science and for meeting the requirements of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), and the Arnes Data Centre in Maribor will play a leading role in this regard.
The Data Centre is part of the Open Science infrastructure
The Data Centre will form a vital link within the Open Science Infrastructure, in the context of which Arnes has upgraded the fibre backbone in the recent years, positioning the Data Centre to serve even the most complex demands of research organisations. The upgraded high-speed fibre-optic links that Arnes has set up as part of the Digitisation for Open Science – Backbone Networking project are also an important contribution to the digital transformation in research in Slovenia. Following the upgrade, greater network reliability can be ensured and the new links also allow future upgrades with potential speeds reaching up to 800 Gbps. Linking the fibre backbone of the ARNES network to the pan-European GÉANT network further ensures reliable international connectivity and integration of the data centre with other European infrastructures, while enabling Slovenia’s participation in a modern infrastructure for science and education.
Sustainable design
Located right next to the Mariborski otok hydroelectric power plant, the data centre will harness the potential of renewable energy from River Drava, while long-term plans include the installation of a solar power plant on the data center’s roof, which will provide an additional contribution to the use of renewable energy sources. The surplus thermal energy generated by the data centre will heat the building, and talks are also in place to heat the local residences in Maribor with the surplus heat from the new supercomputer and SLAIF. All this will add to an even more visible contribution of the Arnes data centre to a sustainable future, both locally, nationally and – ultimately – globally.
The data centre will be built by 2026
The construction of the data centre is supported by key funding from the European Commission under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), which is the most financially significant part of the NextGenerationEU European Recovery and Resilience Package, and joint funding from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation for the digitisation of open science. This will enable the co-location of equipment providing ICT services to education and research, the hosting of equipment from public research organisations and universities, a new supercomputer and the long-term storage of research data with extensive repository capacity.
A second data centre planned near Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia
The construction of a data centre in Maribor is just one step towards achieving an excellent and internationally competitive infrastructure in Slovenia. Plans are also underway to build a data centre in the Ljubljana area to ensure redundancy of Arnes’ services. In addition, future upgrades to the optical backbone will further support the development of quantum technologies at an international level, alongside higher speeds and reliability.
Where open science meets HPC and AI
The Arnes Data Centre Maribor will serve as a central hub for open science and supercomputing in Slovenia. By integrating sustainable design, cutting-edge infrastructure, and long-term data storage with national and European research networks, it will enable the implementation of FAIR principles, support advanced AI and HPC development, and foster international collaboration. As a cornerstone of Slovenia’s scientific and digital future, the data centre positions the country at the forefront of open, sustainable, high-performance research and data infrastructure.
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