Montenegro expects to sign a design-and-build contract for a new state data centre by the end of 2026, advancing a strategic digital-infrastructure project with Hungary’s 4iG Group while the final location, capacity and investment value are still being determined.
The government plans to centralise data currently stored across different public-sector servers and systems, creating infrastructure designed to meet Tier III, ISO 27001 and EN 50600 standards for availability, security and resilience.
The Public Administration Ministry said 4iG had been ranked first following an evaluation of companies proposed by the Hungarian government.
A construction completion deadline has not yet been formalised. Once the design-and-build contract is signed, implementation monitoring is expected to pass to Montenegro’s Ministry of Public Works.
The project is being developed under the wider cooperation framework signed between Montenegro and Hungary in July 2025, covering telecommunications, information technology, infrastructure and law-enforcement technology.
The agreement entered into force in December 2025.
For 4iG, the data centre would deepen an already substantial position in Montenegro’s telecommunications and digital infrastructure market.
The Hungarian group has operated in the country since acquiring the former Telenor Montenegro business, now One Crna Gora, and is expanding into government ICT infrastructure.
In March, Montenegro selected 4iG for negotiations covering the state data centre and a separate law-enforcement technology programme.
That second programme has a budget of €54.25 million, while the value of the data-centre investment remains undetermined.
4iG’s International Digital Infrastructure subsidiary is expected to develop the Tier III-certified facility.
Cost and location remain open
Despite the targeted 2026 contract signing, several of the project’s most important commercial parameters have yet to be fixed.
The government is still determining the location and required capacity, while the final investment model and financing structure are also under development.
A feasibility study prepared with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) assessed the technical, financial, legal and organisational requirements for creating a centralised government data infrastructure.
Montenegro’s government and Finance Ministry are expected to provide the necessary funding, although the final project value will depend on technical specifications, capacity and the procurement and implementation structure.
The absence of a final price is significant because data centres require substantially more than server buildings.
Investment can include redundant electricity supply, backup generation, cooling, cybersecurity infrastructure, telecommunications connections and systems designed to maintain operations during equipment or grid failures.
The eventual capacity specification will therefore determine both construction cost and long-term electricity requirements.
Digital infrastructure meets energy investment
The project also fits into a broader expansion strategy being considered by 4iG in Montenegro.
The Hungarian group said in its first-half 2026 report that it was examining opportunities with partners in renewable energy, electricity networks, power purchasing and digital infrastructure.
That combination could become commercially important.
Data centres require reliable round-the-clock electricity, while technology companies and large infrastructure operators are increasingly seeking long-term renewable-power arrangements to manage energy costs and carbon exposure.
Montenegro has significant hydro, wind and solar potential and an electricity interconnector with Italy, giving digital infrastructure development a potential connection to the country’s wider power-sector investment strategy.
For now, however, the government project is primarily intended to solve a public-sector infrastructure problem.
Government information is currently distributed across systems and servers with differing levels of protection and resilience.
Centralising that infrastructure is intended to strengthen data sovereignty, cybersecurity and disaster resilience, while providing a common technology platform for electronic government services.
The government also expects the centre to support digitalisation of municipal services and reduce duplication of infrastructure across public institutions.
4iG deepens Western Balkan position
The contract would further expand 4iG’s role in the Western Balkans beyond conventional telecommunications.
The group already has significant operations in Montenegro and Albania and has increasingly positioned digital infrastructure, system integration and government technology alongside mobile and fixed telecommunications.
Its Montenegrin government projects represent a particularly important step because they extend the group’s activities directly into state digital infrastructure.
The data-centre agreement would also deepen the economic component of the Montenegro-Hungary bilateral relationship, under which Hungarian companies are being considered for infrastructure and technology projects.
The immediate milestone is now the planned contract signing before the end of 2026.
But the project’s real scale will only become clear once Montenegro fixes the location, computing capacity, power requirements, financing model and final construction price.
Those decisions will determine whether the facility remains primarily a government IT consolidation project or becomes the foundation for a wider Montenegrin digital-infrastructure strategy linking data centres, telecommunications, renewable electricity and regional connectivity.
