First Google. Now Nvidia. As Poland racks up billion-dollar bets from the world's biggest tech players, one thing is clear: Europe’s AI map is being redrawn — and Poland is right at the center. By Beata Socha
Poland is gearing up for a major transformation. In late April, Kulczyk Investments announced a partnership with Nvidia, one of the world’s biggest AI players, to build one of Central Europe’s most powerful supercomputers. Powered by Nvidia’s cutting-edge Blackwell architecture, the machine will deliver top-tier AI computing services — and crucially, it will keep Polish data on home soil.
The Kulczyk-Nvidia supercomputer isn’t just about showing off technical prowess — though there’s plenty of that. It’s about control and trust. Data will be processed locally, shielded by European privacy laws, and housed in Poznań’s Beyond.pl data centers — already among the continent’s most secure and energy-efficient facilities.
Dawid Jakubowicz, CEO of Kulczyk Investments, calls the partnership an exercise in “pragmatic collaboration” — a signal that innovation, not geopolitics, is driving the agenda.
And it’s far from an isolated move. In February, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Google CEO Sundar Pichai in Warsaw to announce a sweeping new alliance between government and tech. The multi-billion dollar investment, aimed at wiring Poland’s digital future, marks the beginning of a cooperation deal that could lift the country’s GDP by as much as 8%.
The plan reads like an investment wish list: billions of dollars in funding, Google’s pledge to train one million Poles in AI skills, a fast-track for startups working in cybersecurity, health tech, and education. When two tech giants place billion-dollar bets on the same country in quick succession, it raises a bigger question: Why is Poland suddenly at the center of the AI race?
The aim of the recently unveiled plans is nothing less than making Poland a heavyweight in Europe's tech ecosystem, a position the country is well-suited for already.
“Poland is currently the largest engineering hub in Europe,” Pichai said at the event, highlighting a workforce of more than 400,000 IT professionals. That depth of talent didn’t appear overnight. It’s the result of years of steady investment in education, research, and infrastructure — and now, the world is taking notice.
The government is doing its part too, pledging to steer 5% of Poland’s GDP into digitization initiatives by 2035, and the country’s AI future. A billion PLN have been earmarked to build out a domestic AI ecosystem, including a national AI Factory, the development of a Polish large language model (PLLuM), and public-private partnerships designed to empower homegrown startups.
Government-backed supercomputers in Warsaw and Kraków will soon offer research and business communities computational power that, until recently, was the preserve of a few global giants.
Poland boasts one of Europe’s largest tech talent pools, with thousands more entering the field every year. Combine that with labor costs that remain far below Western European levels, and the country offers a rare mix of quality and affordability. But competitive wages only tell part of the story. Poland is also emerging as a frontline player in Europe’s digital defense.
Cyberattacks against Polish infrastructure have doubled in the past year. Last November, Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski laid it out starkly: “There’s hardly a day now when critical infrastructure isn’t targeted by Russian services.” In that context, technology is no longer just about economic growth — it’s about national security.
At its core, Poland’s AI push is about sovereignty: keeping control over its digital destiny in a world where data and algorithms are fast becoming tools of power. The choice is clear — lead, or be left behind.
The investment boom paints an optimistic picture. But look closer, and the coming transformation of work looks far more complicated. AI isn’t just opening new doors — it’s rewriting the rules of the labor market, often at a breakneck pace.
A recent report by the Polish Economic Institute (PIE) found that about 22% of jobs in Poland are exposed to AI-driven disruption. And the roles most at risk are high-skill, high-education jobs: finance professionals, lawyers, IT workers.
Women could be disproportionately affected. Around 28% of women are employed in sectors at high risk of AI disruption, compared to just 17% of men, largely because of gendered employment patterns in administrative and service industries.
The regional divide is stark, too. In Warsaw, nearly 45% of jobs are highly exposed to generative AI technologies. In rural Świętokrzyskie, that figure drops to just 18%. Urban centers like Kraków and Wrocław, packed with business service centers and tech firms, are poised for faster — and more turbulent — change.
Yet predictions of mass unemployment may be overstated. A February 2025 report from EY Poland found that only 2.6% of work tasks in Poland are likely to be automated over the next decade — significantly lower than the Western European average of 5%.
Instead, jobs are expected to evolve. Some skills will vanish; others — digital literacy, critical thinking, AI management — will soar in demand.
The warning signs are clear: only 44% of Poles currently possess basic digital skills, well below the EU average. Without aggressive investment in reskilling, a large portion of the workforce risks falling behind.
The stakes are why Google’s promise to train one million Poles in AI tools isn't just a PR move — it’s a lifeline. AI is coming to Poland’s workplaces — and fast. Readiness, not resistance, will decide who wins and who falls behind.
Ask any expert where Poland’s AI future will be decided, and the answer isn’t a server room — it’s the classroom and the boardroom. Without a massive national investment in human capital, the world's most powerful machines won’t be enough.
Fortunately, the groundwork is underway. Beyond Google’s training pledge, Poland’s Digitalization Strategy 2025–2035 aims to drive AI adoption across half of all businesses within the next decade. It’s an ambitious goal: not just importing technology, but integrating it into everyday economic life.
Still, the real challenge isn’t technical. It’s cultural. Employees must learn to do more than just operate AI tools; they must develop the critical thinking to interpret, challenge, and refine their outputs. Automating a report is easy. Knowing when the report is wrong is a different skill altogether.
Other nations are already experimenting. France has introduced Individual Learning Accounts. Sweden offers paid training leaves to support workers in transition. Both recognize what Poland must now face: the AI revolution will redefine what it means to be “qualified.”
Meanwhile, the risk of widening inequality looms large. Urban centers like Warsaw and Kraków are sprinting ahead, buoyed by foreign investment and a tech-savvy workforce. Rural regions, still lagging behind, risk becoming permanent digital underclasses without targeted interventions. Left unchecked, the digital divide could harden into a new economic fault line.
But if Poland gets the formula right — if it builds an AI-literate workforce, spreads opportunity beyond the big cities, and embeds technology deep into the economy — the payoff could be transformative: stronger productivity, new industries, and a lasting seat at the table of European innovation.
Supercomputers, AI factories, domestic large language models — they’re all pieces of a broader strategy to anchor the economy in the next technological era. This isn’t just about ambition. It’s about survival, and a chance to lead.
Poland is positioning itself at the collision point of two seismic shifts: the global AI boom and the new security realities reshaping Europe. Between talent, cost, and an urgent sense of mission, the country has a unique combination to become Europe’s AI superstar.
