Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Monday that Bulgaria must position itself as a global destination for high-tech investment, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), amid growing international competition to build large-scale AI infrastructure.
Speaking at a roundtable on attracting high-tech investments, Radev said leading countries and companies are racing to develop AI infrastructure and questioned Bulgaria’s position in the global landscape.
“Where do we stand, what are our capabilities, and do we have the ambition to build AI gigafactories?” Radev asked. He argued that Bulgaria offers significant advantages for such projects, citing a stable energy system, a functioning nuclear power plant, and access to abundant water resources.
“In Western Europe, nuclear plants are being shut down, which is now proving to be a major obstacle due to electricity shortages,” he said. “In contrast, we have the energy surplus to support such developments.”
Radev noted that in the United States, only about 3% of viable land for large-scale AI facilities remains unused, while Western Europe faces challenges in both land availability and energy supply. “The winner will be the one who can provide surplus energy and land that meets seismic, transport, and communications criteria,” he said.
He also pointed to Bulgaria’s strong IT sector, strategic optical fibre routes, and the presence of the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) as key assets.
Radev acknowledged growing international interest but warned that foreign investors expect clear answers regarding land, electricity reliability and pricing, and access to water for cooling. “I have a checklist of investor questions, but as president, I cannot provide answers without the involvement of the executive branch,” he said.
He stressed that Bulgaria must act quickly, as global tech giants face saturation in the U.S. market and are increasingly looking abroad. “Greece already secured Microsoft’s data centres. We now have a chance to attract a new generation of investment,” he said.
Radev called for the establishment of a public-private partnership to support this effort and urged a shift in Bulgaria’s international image. “We must move past perceptions of corruption and political instability,” he said.
He proposed that the presidency, executive, local authorities, businesses, and academia jointly draft a concept paper to outline a national strategy for AI investment. “When the state stands behind the business, we can bring in foreign investors,” Radev said.
