Russia Moves to Secure Affordable Power for Data Centers
New legislation aims to ease energy access for AI infrastructure and supercomputers
Russia is preparing a new artificial intelligence bill that includes measures to support computing infrastructure. The draft is still under discussion, but the focus has already shifted from AI models themselves to the resources that power them.
By 2026, electricity has become the main constraint on AI development. Without reliable access to power capacity, deploying and scaling systems runs into infrastructure bottlenecks.
The draft law introduces provisions for priority data centers and supercomputers. The government will be able to approve a list of such facilities. These sites will receive benefits, including simplified grid connections and reduced electricity tariffs.
The proposal also includes the creation of dedicated energy zones. Within these zones, data centers will operate under unified electricity transmission conditions, while part of the grid infrastructure will be funded by the state. The idea is to form clusters with guaranteed access to power capacity.
Discussion Continues
The bill has not yet been adopted and remains under review. Officials in the office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko said the final parameters are still being defined. Earlier versions focused on classifying AI models and certification. The emphasis has now shifted to energy consumption. Electricity demand from data centers in Russia is expected to grow significantly – at least 2.5 times by 2030.
Alexey Shpilman, AI development director at T-Technologies, suggests dividing data centers by function.
According to him, inference data centers should be located closer to users, where low latency is critical. Training facilities can be placed further away, as computing power matters more than response time.
