ENEN

EUROPEAN

COMMISSION

Brussels,9.4.2025

COM(2025)165final

COMMUNICATIONFROMTHECOMMISSIONTOTHEEUROPEAN

PARLIAMENT,THECOUNCIL,THEEUROPEANECONOMICANDSOCIAL

COMMITTEEANDTHECOMMITTEEOFTHEREGIONS

AIContinentActionPlan

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AIContinentActionPlan

TheEuropeanUnioniscommittedanddeterminedtobecomeagloballeaderinArtificialIntelligence,aleadingAIcontinent.ThisCommunicationoutlinesasetofboldactionstoachievethatgoal.AIhasjustbeguntobeadoptedinthekeysectorsofoureconomy,helpingtotacklesomeofthemostpressingchallengesofourtimes.Whilethefullimpactofthistransformationalshiftisstillunfolding,Europemustactwithambition,speedandforesighttoshapethefutureofAIinawaythatenhancesourcompetitiveness,safeguardsandadvancesourdemocraticvaluesandprotectsourculturaldiversity.AtrustworthyandhumancentricAIisbothpivotalforeconomicgrowthandcrucialforpreservingthefundamentalrightsandprinciplesthatunderpinoursocieties.Swiftpolicyactionisofhighestpriority.

TheglobalraceforleadershipinAIisfarfromover.Breakthroughscontinuetoredefinetheboundariesofwhatispossible.Fromcutting-edgefoundationmodelstospecialisedAIapplications,theAIlandscapeintheEUremainsdynamic,drivenbyresearch,emergingtechnologies,andathrivingstartupsandscaleupsecosystem.

AchievingourambitionsinAIwillrequireleadershipbothindevelopingandusingAI.Itentailssustainedinvestmentininfrastructure(includingcomputingpowerandnetworks),alongsideadvancesinmodeldevelopment,andbroadadoptionacrosstheeconomy.OnlybyworkingtogetheratEU,nationalandlocallevelwillwesucceedinthisendeavour.Boththeprivateandthepublicsectorshavearoletoplay.BusinessesmustscaleuptheirinvestmentsandembraceAIintheirdomains,whilethepublicsectormustenhanceitscapabilities.PublicprocurementshouldpromoteEuropeanpreferenceforcriticalsectorsandtechnologies,asproposedintheCompetitivenessCompass

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TheEUmustmaintainitsowndistinctiveapproachtoAIbycapitalisingonitsstrengthsandwhatitdoesbest.Thisincludes:first,alargesinglemarketwithonesinglesetofsafetyrulesacrosstheEU,includingtherecentlyadoptedAIAct,ensuringAIistrustworthyandalignedwithEUvalues;second,makingthemostofitshigh-qualityresearch,andscience,asubstantialpoolofscientistsandskilledprofessionals;third,athrivingstartupandscaleupscene,industrialknowhowandexpertise:and,lastbutnotleast,asolidfoundationinworld-classcomputationalpowerwithdataspacesaccessibletoall.

Indeed,theEuropeanbrandofopeninnovationisshowingresults.ComputingpowerintheEUispubliclyaccessiblethroughtheEuropeannetworkofcutting-edgesupercomputersdeployedbytheEuropeanHigh-PerformanceComputingJointUndertaking(EuroHPC

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).ThenetworkprovidesAIinnovatorsandresearchorganisationswithanopenenvironmentto

1COM(2025)30final

2TheEuropeanHigh-PerformanceComputingJointUndertaking(EuroHPC)waslaunchedin2018andco-fundedbytheEU,MemberStates,andprivateactors.NotableexamplesofEuroHPCsupercomputersincludeLUMI(ranked#8globally),Leonardo(#9),andMareNostrum5(#11),whichcollectivelyenhanceEurope'scomputationalcapabilities.TheprocurementcontractforthefirstEuroHPCexascalesupercomputerJUPITERwassigned.

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accesscomputingresourcestotrainandfinetunemodels,linkingtohigh-qualitydataspacesandenablingbroadparticipationincutting-edgemodeldevelopment.AImodeldevelopmentintheEUbenefitsfromadvancesinopen-sourceapproaches.Itencouragesknowledgesharing,enablescollaboration,facilitatesintegrationintospecificapplicationsandincreasestransparency.

Inthiscontext,itisnosurprisethattheEU’sAIstartupandscaleupsceneisbooming.Thisisreflectedintheincreasedinvestmentsandthegrowingnumberofunicornsinthisfieldinrecentyears.TheEUishometomorethan6800AIstartups

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.ThisvibrantcommunityofinnovativeAIstartupsandinnovatorsisadvancingthefrontierofAImodelsaswellasapplyingthemtoindustry-specificapplications.Butmorestillneedstobedone.TheEUneedstoensurethatitsstartups,industry,publicsector,andscientistsatlargehavewhattheyneedtoharnesstheprospectsofAI.Thisincludesensuringsecurevaluechains,theirresilienceandthatoftheEU’sSingleMarket,whichisofparticularimportanceforEU’scompetitivenessanditsfutureinnovationinthecurrentgeopoliticalcontext.

FortheEUtobecomeanAIContinent,effortsmustaccelerateandintensifyinfivekeydomains:

First,computinginfrastructure:TheEU’spublicAIinfrastructureneedstobescaledupsothatinnovatorsandresearcherscantrainandfinetuneAIfrontiermodels.ThisincludesbothstrengtheningthenetworkofAIFactories–whicharebeinglaunchedtooffergreatercomputingcapacityforAIandrelatedservices–andestablishingresource-efficientGigafactories,integratingmassivecomputingpowerintodatacentres.TheinspirationforthesegigafactoriescomesfromtheambitionthatunderliesCERN;theseGigafactorieswillfosterscientificcollaborationaroundpowerfulanduniqueinfrastructures,bringingtogetherresearchers,entrepreneursandinvestorstotackleambitiousandforward-lookingprojects–"moonshots"–inareaslikehealthcare,biotechnology,industry,roboticsandscientificdiscovery.InthisspirittheEuropeanAIResearchCouncil(ResourceforAIScienceinEurope–RAISE)couldpoolresourcesforAIscientistsanddomainscientistsapplyingAIacrosstheEU.Concurrently,private-sectorinvestmentincloudcapacityandsustainabledatacentresmustbefacilitatedandscaledup.

Second,weneedtotakefurtheractiontoensuremoreaccesstohigh-qualitydataforAIinnovators.Withthisobjective,theEUwillworktowardsadedicatedDataUnionstrategyandwill,amongothermeasures,explorethedevelopmentofDataLabsasintegralcomponentsoftheAIFactories,toenabletheprovision,pooling,andsecuresharingofhigh-qualitydata.

Third,weneedtostimulatethefurtherdevelopmentofAIalgorithmsandleveragetheiradoptionintheEU’sstrategicsectors.TheforthcomingApplyAIStrategywilllaunchconcreteactionstoboostnewindustrialandscientificusesofAIandimprovepublicservices.EuropeanDigitalInnovationHubswillrefocusinordertosupporttheadoptionofAIbySMEs,

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https://www.appliedaiinstitute.de/en/hub/2024-generative-ai-study

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mid-capsandpublicadministrations,andfurthertechnologicaladvancesinstrategicsectorswillbesupportedbyEuropeanfundingprogrammesoverthenextthreeyears.

Fourth,theEU’sstrongAItalentbaseisamajorasset.WeneedtoreinforceAIskills,includingbasicAIliteracyanddiversetalent,throughouttheEUbyclosingexistinggaps,byfurtherdevelopingexcellenceinAIeducation,training,andresearch,byattractingmorewomentoAI,byraisingawarenessofAIamongthewidersocietyandpublicadministration,aswellasbyattractingandretainingAItalentfromoutsidetheEU.Asagloballeaderinfreescientificresearch,theEUisanattractivedestinationandmustremainopentoglobaltalent.

Fifth,theEU’slargesinglemarketisasignificantasset,withonesetofclearrules,includingtheAIAct,preventingmarketfragmentationandenhancingtrustandsecurityintheuseofAItechnologies.Nevertheless,thereisaneedtofacilitatecompliancewiththeAIAct,particularlyforsmallerinnovators.

ThesearethenecessarypillarsforEuropetobecometheAIContinent.TheCommissionPresidentsetoutthisvisionattheAIActionSummitinParis

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inFebruary2025whensheannouncedInvestAI,aninitiativetomobiliseEUR200billionforinvestmentinAIinlinewiththepoliticalprioritiesoftheCompetitivenessCompass.

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https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_25_471

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1.Buildlarge-scaleAIdataandcomputinginfrastructuresacrossEuropefortheAIecosystem

Infrastructure–particularlycomputingpower–isfundamentaltoAImodeldevelopmentallthroughouttheAIlifecycle.Fromtraining,wherethemodellearnsfromvastamountsofdataandrequiresmassivecomputationalresources,oftenrelyingonhigh-performanceadvancedAIprocessors;finetuning,whereitisoptimisedforspecificapplications;testing,where,oncethemodelistrainedandvalidated,itistestedtoassessitsperformance;toinferenceanddeployment,wherethemodeloutputisintegratedintorealworldapplications.Theavailabilityofpowerfulcomputingresourcesisanimportantelementforattractingacademic,technical,andindustrialtalentandisessentialforenhancingtheAIecosystem.ItisthereforevitalfortheEUandtheMemberStatestoworktogetherinensuringanadequatesupplyofcomputationalpoweracrosstheAIcontinent,includingalsoincooperationwithEUcandidateandpotentialcandidatecountries.

1.1DeployandscaleAIFactories

TheEUhasmostrecentlybeenstrengtheningtheEuroHPCnetworkofsupercomputersthroughtheAIFactoriesinitiative,asannouncedinthe2024AIInnovationPackage

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.AIFactoriesaredynamicecosystemsthatfosterinnovation,collaboration,anddevelopmentinthefieldofAI.TheyintegrateAI-optimisedsupercomputers,largedataresources,programmingandtrainingfacilities,andhumancapitaltocreatecutting-edgeAImodelsandapplications.Byconnectingsupercomputingcentres,universities,startups,industry,thepublicsectorandfinancialstakeholders,AIFactorieswillenhancecollaborationinAIacrossEurope.TheywilldriveadvancesinAIapplicationsacrossmultipledomains.Moreover,AIFactorieswillenhanceaccesstohigh-qualitydatabylinkingtolargenationaldatarepositories,EUDataSpaces,anddedicateddatalabs(seesection2).

TheAIFactoriesinitiativehasbeenahugesuccess,demonstratingthestrongcommitmentandsupportofMemberStates.FollowingthefirstAIFactories’calldeadlineon1November2024,sevenconsortia–spanning15MemberStates

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andtwoassociatedEuroHPCParticipatingStates

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–wereselectedtohostthefirstAIFactories.Buildingonthismomentum,sixadditionalAIFactorieswereselectedinMarch2025

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.Withatotalof13AIFactoriesacross17MemberStatesandtwoEuroHPCParticipatingStates,overallinvestmentsinsupercomputinginfrastructuresandAIFactoriesintheEUwillreachEUR10billionoverthe2021-2027period.Inthiscontext,ninenewAIoptimisedsupercomputerswillbeprocuredanddeployedacrosstheEUin2025/26,andanexistingsupercomputerwillbeupgradedwithAIcapabilities

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.ThiswillmorethantriplethecurrentEuroHPCAIcomputingcapacity.

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AIInnovationPackage

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https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_6302

7Non-EUMemberStatesparticipatingintheEuroHPCJointUndertaking,i.e.,Iceland,Israel,Montenegro,NorthMacedonia,Norway,Serbia,Türkiye,UnitedKingdomandsoonSwitzerland:

DiscoverEuroHPCJU-EuroHPCJU

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https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/second-wave-ai-factories-set-drive-eu-wide-

innovation#:~:text=This%20follows%20the%20first%20selection,of%20around%20%E2%82%AC485%20mill

ion.

9SeedetailsinannexI.

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AIFactoriesbringuniquestrengthsandspecialisedfocusareas,playingapivotalroleinadvancingAIapplicationsacrossstrategicsectorsasfollows:

Asummaryofthe13selectedEuroHPCAIFactoriesisincludedinAnnexI.

TheinterestandconfidencefromMemberStatescontinuestogrow,withfurthercountriessignallingtheirwillingnesstoparticipateintheongoingthirdcallclosinginQ22025,underliningthesuccessoftheinitiativeanditsstrategicimportanceforEurope'sAIfuture.

Additionally,ParticipatingStatescanestablishAIFactoryAntennastosupportservicestotheirnationalAI/HPCecosystemwithouttheneedfordedicatedsupercomputerinfrastructure.AIFactoryAntennaswillprovideremoteaccesstoAI-optimisedsupercomputingresourcesofthelinkedAIFactorylocatedinanotherMemberState.

Byend2025,allselectedAIFactoriesandAIFactoriesAntennaswillbefullyoperational,networkedtogether,andconnectedtoothermajorAIsupportinitiatives,suchastheTestingandExperimentationfacilitiesforAI

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,offeringdedicatedresourcesfortestingAIsolutions,andthenetworkofEuropeanDigitalInnovationHubs.

TheEuroHPCJointUndertakingwillserveasthesingle-entrypointforusersacrosstheEU,providingaccesstocomputingtimeandsupportservicesofferedbyanyEuroHPCAIFactory.TheAIFactoriesareopentoEuropean

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usersfromvarioussectors,includingindustry,research,academia,andpublicauthorities.NewtailoredaccessmodeswillprioritiseAIinnovators–startups,scaleups,SMEs–andselectedEU-fundedresearchprojects,ensuringstreamlinedfastaccesstocomputingresourceswithminimaladministrativeoverhead.TheGoverningBoardoftheEuroHPCJointUndertakingplanstoadoptthisAccessPolicytogetherwiththepublicationofthisCommunication.InlinewithourPreparednessUnionandInternalSecurityStrategies,provisionsareincludedforthedirectallocationofaccesstimetostrategicUnionprojects

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aswellasforemergencyandcrisismanagementsituations.

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https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/testing-and-experimentation-facilities

11EstablishedorlocatedinanEUMemberStateorinaParticipatingStateorinathirdcountryassociatedtotheDigitalEuropeProgrammeortoHorizonEurope.

12DestinationEarth,HumanBrainFlagshipInitiative,thecentresofexcellenceinhighperformancecomputingor1+MillionGenomesInitiative.

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KeyCommission/EuroHPCActions:

-SetupanddeployselectedAIFactoriesandtheirservices(Q22025);

-Setupasingle-entrypointforallusersacrossEuropeforaccesstoAIFactoriesandtheirservices(Q22025);

-LaunchprocurementofthefirstAI-optimisedFactorysupercomputers(Q2/Q32025);

-LaunchtheCallforProposalstoestablishAIFactoriesAntennas(Q22025);

-LaunchaCallfornetworkingalltheAIFactoriesandAIFactoriesAntennasactivities(Q22025).

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1.2InvestinAIGigafactories

WhilerecentadvancesintrainingtechniquesandarchitecturaloptimisationhavemadeAImodelsmoreefficient,thepursuitoffrontierAImodelsstillrequiresvastamountsofcomputinganddatacapacity.

Overthelasttwoyears,AImodelshavebecomeincreasinglycomplex,evolvingfromtextprocessingtoreasoning,multimodalcapabilitiesandagenticbehaviour.Thistrendwillcontinue,withthenextgenerationoffrontierAImodelsexpectedtounlockaleapincapabilities,towardsArtificialGeneralIntelligence(AGI)capableoftacklinghighlycomplexanddiversetasks,matchinghumancapabilities.

Currently,themostperformantAIFactories'supercomputers,equippedwithupto25,000advancedAIprocessors,playanessentialroleindevelopingandtrainingthecurrentgenerationofAImodels.LeadingthenextwaveofadvancedAImodelsrequiressignificantlygreatercomputingpower,anddata.AsannouncedintheCompetitivenessCompass,theEUwillinvestinAIGigafactories.

AIGigafactorieswillbelarge-scalefacilitiesthatdevelopandtraincomplexAImodelsatanunprecedentedscale,withhundredsoftrillionsofparameters.Theywillintegratemassivecomputingpower,exceeding100,000advancedAIprocessors,whiletakingintoaccountpowercapacity,aswellasenergy,waterefficiencyandcircularity.ThesefacilitiesareessentialforEuropetocompetegloballyandmaintainitsstrategicautonomyinscientificprogressandcriticalindustrialsectors.TheywillbefederatedwiththeEuroHPCnetworkofAIFactories,ensuringseamlessintegrationandknowledgesharingacrosstheEuropeanAIecosystem.Thisshouldalsostimulatethedesign–andinduecoursethemanufacturing–ofAIprocessorsinEurope.TheCOVIDcrisisandthelatestgeopoliticaldevelopments

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haveshownhowimportantitisforEuropetobeabletocountonsecureandresilientvaluechainsandonastrongsinglemarket.TheEUisdeterminedtoavoidthefragmenationofitssinglemarketandtoenhanceitscapabilitiestoreducedependenciesoncriticaltechnologiesandstrengthensovereigntyincuttingedgesemiconductors

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.WhileactivitiesinthisareahavealreadystartedundertheChipsandEuroHPCJointUndertakings,thisshouldbeakeypriorityforthereviewoftheChipsAct,whichwillaimatensuringstrategicautonomyinthedesignandproductionofAIsemiconductors.TheCommissionwillacceleratepreparatoryworkinviewofrevisingtheChipsActin2026.HighenergyefficiencyandsecurityshouldfeatureamongthekeyrequirementsforEuropeanAIchips.

13JointStatementbyExecutiveVice-PresidentHennaVirkkunenandCommissionerMaro??ef?ovi?

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_25_255

14EuroHPChaslaunchedtheDAREinitiativewithabudgetofEUR240milliontodevelopafullHPCecosystembasedonopenRISC-Vprocessors(generalpurposeandaccelerators,includingAI-specificchips)andtheirintegrationintoexascaleandpost-exascaleEuropeansupercomputers,ThisinitiativewillstrengthentheEU’sstrategictechnologicalsovereignty,producingcompetitiveHPCtechnologytopowerthefutureEuropeansupercomputers,withacriticalimpactinotherareaslikeAI,cloudanddatacentresorautomotive.

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TheestablishmentofasingleAIGigafactoryisestimatedtorequiresignificantinvestments,encompassingbothcapitalexpendituresandoperationalexpenses.Giventhemagnitudeofthenecessaryinvestment,theseAIGigafactorieswillbeimplementedthroughpublic-privatepartnershipsandinnovativefundingmechanisms.Inthisregard,CommissionPresidentvonderLeyenannouncedattheAIActionSummitinParis

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thelaunchoftheInvestAIFacility,withaviewtomobiliseEUR20billioninvestmentforAIinfrastructure,notablytargetingupto5AIGigafactoriesacrosstheUnion.Thefacility,tobedevelopedincollaborationwiththeEuropeanInvestmentBankgroup,aimsatfacilitatingandcrowdinginprivateinvestment,incombinationwithgrantsandguaranteesprovidedbytheUnionbudgetandMemberStates.TheCommissionalsourgedMemberStatesandregionstoenhancesupporttodigitalcapacitiessuchasAI,cloudandgiga-factories,inthecontextofitsmid-termreviewofCohesionpolicy

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.

Forexample,intheframeworkofsuchapublic-privatepartnership,theEUandMemberStateswouldcontributedirectgrants,inlinewithapplicableStateaidrules,whileprivateproponentswouldberesponsibleforfinancingtheremainingamount–withthepossibilityofderiskinginvestmentthroughtheInvestAIFacility.TheseAIgigafactoriesmayalsobecometheplatformforattractingtheparticipationoflargeinternationalfinancialinvestors.

Theestablishmentofthefirst-everAIgigafactoriesonEuropeansoilwillrequireasignificanteffortofinvestmentandpolicycoordination,withclearaddedvaluetoEUcompetitiveness.Therefore,theAIgigafactorieswillserveasoneofthepilotcasesoftheCompetitivenessCoordinationToolannouncedintheCompetitivenessCompass.

Inlinewiththisvision:

-acallforexpressionofinterestforconsortiainterestedinsettingupAIGigafactoriesislaunchedtogetherwiththeadoptionofthisActionPlan.Theaimistoenterinadialoguewithindividualproponents.Thedialoguewillincludethepartnership,theproposedbudget,thegeographicallocation,computingperformance,technicalspecificationsandsustainabilityconsiderationsaswellasfeasibilityanalysisoftheirAIGigafactory.

-Followingtheoutcomeofthediscussionsinthepreliminarycallsofinterestwithinterestedparties,includingMemberStates,industry,andfinancialinstitutions,theofficialcallfortheestablishmentofAIGigafactorieswillbepublishedinQ42025bytheEuroHPCJointUndertaking.

FurtheradvancingthefrontierofAImodels,includingtowardsArtificialGeneralIntelligence(AGI),alsorequiresfacilitatingthescale-upofcompanies.TocrowdinsubstantialcapitalinvestmentforthedevelopmentofnewAImodels,investmentfundscouldstepin,forexamplethosesupportedthroughtheEuropeanInnovationCouncilFund,theplannedTechEUScale-upFund

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,theEIBGroup’sEuropeanTechChampionsInitiativeorbytheInvestEUguarantee.Whatismore,EUpublicprocurement,accountingforover15%

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ofourGDP,could

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https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_25_471

16CommunicationonamodernisedCohesionpolicy:themid-termreview[refto1.4.2025(COM(2025)163]

17FromtheCompetitivenessCompass:“tohelpbridgethefinancinggaptosupportdisruptiveinnovation,strengthenEurope’sindustrialcapacityandscale-upcompanies”

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Accesstopublicprocurement|SingleMarketandCompetitivenessScoreboard

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createanenormousmarketforinnovativeproductsandservices.Inthatcontext,theCompetitivenessCompassannouncedthepromotionofEuropeanpreferenceinpublicprocurementforcriticalsectorsandtechnologiesinthecontextoftheforthcomingreviewoftheEUrules.

Dedicatedsolutionsaimedatfacilitatinginnovativestartups’andscaleups’accesstofinance,publicprocurement,markets,servicesandtalents,willbeexploredbytheEUStartupandScaleUpStrategyannouncedbytheEuropeanCommissionintheCompetitivenessCompass.

KeyCommission/EuroHPCactions:

-IssueacallforexpressionofinteresttoinvestinAIGigafactories(9April2025);

-DefinetheInvestAIFacilitywithEIBG(Q3/Q42025);

-LaunchtheofficialcallonAIGigafactoriesundertheEuroHPCJointUndertaking(Q42025);

-Addressthefinancinggapofstartupsandscaleupsandfacilitatetheiraccesstomarkets,publicprocurement,servicesandtalentintheEUStartupandScaleupStrategy(Q22025).

1.3EstablishthesupportframeworkforboostingEUcloudanddatacentrecapacity

TheEUalsoneedsfurtherinstrumentstoenabletheprivatesectortocloseothercapacitygapsalongthecomputingcontinuumthataffectallphasesofanAImodel’slifecycle,fromdevelopmentandfine-tuningtodeploymentandreal-timeuse.Thesegapsnotablyinclude:generalcloudcapacity,whichistypicallydeliveredfromlargedatacentres;andedgecapacitythatdeliverssimilarservicesbutwithsignificantlylowerresponsetime(latency),suchasinatelecomenvironment(telcoedge)

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.InrelationtoAI,cloudandedgecomputingarekeyenablersofsmallerfine-tuningoperations,particularlythosethatadaptpre-trainedAImodelstospecifictasksusingsmallerdatasets,andofinference,theexecutionoftrainedAImodelstogenerateoutputsfromnewdata.

TheEUcurrentlylagsbehindtheUSandChinaintermsofavailabledatacentrecapacity,relyingheavilyoninfrastructureinstalledinandcontrolledbyotherregionsoftheworld,thatEUusersaccessviathecloud.WhileaccesstoinnovativeandaffordablecloudservicesisvitalforEUcompetitiveness,anexcessivedependenceonnon-EUinfrastructuremaybringeconomicsecurityrisksandisaconcernforEuropeanindustry,keyeconomicsectorsandpublicadministrations.ToadequatelyservetheAIandgeneralcomputingneedsofbusinessesandpublicadministrationsacrosstheentireEU,andtoensurecompetitivenessandsovereignty,itisessentialfortheEUtoincreaseitscurrentcloudanddatacentrecapacityinageographicallybalancedmanner.

19Thetermtelcoedgedescribesedgecomputingenvironmentsofferedbytelecomoperatorsasaservicetothirdparties.Thesearetoday'smostprominentedgecomputingofferings.Formoredetails,see:

https://digital-

strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/white-paper-how-master-europes-digital-infrastructure-needs.

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TheCloudandAIDevelopmentActwillcreatetherightconditionsfortheEUtoincentiviselargeinvestmentsincloudandedgecapacity.Today,theaveragetimetoobtainapermitandtherelatedenvironmentalauthorisationsforbuildingadatacentreinEuropeoftenliesupwardsof48months.Thedatacentreindustrystrugglestoidentifysuitablesites,andtoobtainaccesstosufficientenergytopowertheirfacilities.TheCloudandAIDevelopmentActwilladdresstheseobstacles,withaviewtoatleasttriplingtheEU’sdatacentrecapacitywithinthenextfivetosevenyearsandbringingittoalevelthatmeetstheneedsofEUbusinessesandpublicadministrationsby2035.Tothisend,theCommissionenvisagesthatdatacentreprojectsthatmeetrequirementsrelatedtoresourceefficiency,includinginenergyandwaterefficiency,circularityandrequirementsrelatedtoinnovationwillbenefitfromsimplifiedpermitting,whilemaintainingenvironmentalsafeguardsandprotectinghumanhealth,andfromotherpublicsupportmeasures,inlinewithapplicableStateaidrules.

Addingnewdatacentrestothegridpresentsimportantchallenges,notablyintermsofpotentialimpactsonconsumption,otherenergyconsumers,networksanddecarbonisation.ThestrategicroadmapfordigitalisationandAIintheenergysectorwillproposemeasurestofacilitatethesustainableintegrationofdatacentresintotheenergysystemandaddressotherenergy-relatedissuesresultingfromthelarge-scaledeploymentofdatacentresintheEUsuchaselectricitygridoptimisation,energyefficiencyinbuildingsandindustryanddemand-sideflexibility.Inthesamevein,theupcomingWaterResilienceStrategywilllookatreducingthewaterfootprintoftheseinstallationsandatincreasingtheircircularitythroughwaterreuse,efficiencyanddrycooling.

Forhighlycriticalusecases,includingAIapplications,sovereigntyandoperationalautonomyrequirehighlysecureEU-basedcloudcapacity.Th