SPIEF-2024: an agreement on the creation of a data center in St. Petersburg has been signed

On June 6, 2024, on the sidelines of the SPIEF, Governor Alexander Beglov and VK CEO Vladimir Kiriyenko signed an agreement on the construction of a data storage and processing center in St. Petersburg. It will become the basis for the development of a high-tech cluster in the region. "In his Message to the Federal Assembly, the President set the task of forming digital platforms in all key sectors of the economy and social sphere, increasing computing resources, and developing revolutionary directions. Over the past few years, the IT industry has significantly strengthened its influence on the economy of St. Petersburg‑St. Petersburg. Since 2018, the number of registered IT companies and sole proprietors has increased by 22.4%, reaching 23.8 thousand by the end of 2023. The number of employees in the industry doubled during this period — from 69.1 thousand in 2017 to 117 thousand in 2023. The city also remains among the leaders in terms of accredited IT companies - there are more than three thousand of them. The development of data center infrastructure will strengthen the position of our city as one of the leaders of digitalization in Russia," said Governor Alexander Beglov. The company plans to use cloud technologies at the heart of its IT infrastructure, which increases the flexibility of computing capacity management and return on investment in them. The construction of a new data center will contribute to the creation of favorable conditions for the development of IT infrastructure and the creation of more than 250 new jobs. For reference: VK is the largest Russian technology company in terms of the number of users. Its products and services help millions of people solve everyday tasks online: they are used by more than 95% of the Runet audience. VK projects allow you to communicate, play, learn new professions, listen to music, watch and shoot videos, and solve many other tasks. The company is also developing a set of products and services for digitalizing business processes - from Internet promotion and predictive analytics to corporate social networks, cloud services and enterprise automation.