The European Commission announced to journalists that it intends to finance seven computing centers, each worth several billion euros, which would serve as the foundation for artificial intelligence models in Europe. The mega-project would be implemented as the largest public-private partnership (PPP) ever undertaken.
Last year, at the AI Summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to help Europe catch up in the global AI race.
Under the EU’s plans, four smaller data centers would be established, each equipped with between 25,000 and 75,000 specialized AI chips, alongside three larger facilities, each housing between 40,000 and 100,000 chips.
So far, the European Commission has allocated €1 billion to the project and plans to provide an additional €4 billion from the next long-term EU budget. However, this funding remains uncertain, as the EU’s next multiannual financial framework has yet to be approved by the Member States.
Projects Expected to Launch Early Next Year
The European Commission plans to select the winning proposals by the beginning of next year, after which the selected companies will have 18 months to complete the projects. Smaller projects may receive up to €1 billion in Commission funding, while larger projects could receive as much as €2 billion. However, public funding may not exceed 35% of the total investment cost.
EU lawmakers and industry observers have raised a number of questions about the plans. Among their concerns are whether there will be sufficient demand from AI companies for the computing capacity generated by these data centers, and whether the facilities will be able to operate on a commercially sustainable basis as the European Commission overregulated the use of AI.
