The European Fee this week introduced an AI Continent Motion plan that requires investments in AI and HPC accompanied by a number of AI factories throughout Europe. The EC stated 13 of those factories are being deployed at the side of the continent’s supercomputing assets and are supposed to help EU AI startups, business and researchers in growing AI fashions and functions.
The fee stated its AI Gigafactories “will likely be large-scale amenities outfitted with roughly 100,000 state-of-the-art AI chips, 4 instances greater than present AI factories.” Whereas the EC stated its intent is to develop into a worldwide chief in AI, additionally they additionally acknowledged that “regardless of the potential of AI, solely 13.5% of firms within the EU have adopted AI.”
Following is the EC’s Motion Plan:
To develop into a worldwide chief in synthetic intelligence (AI) is the target of the AI Continent Motion Plan launched right now. As set out by President von der Leyen on the AI Motion Summit in February 2025 in Paris, this formidable initiative is about to remodel Europe’s sturdy conventional industries and its distinctive expertise pool into highly effective engines of AI innovation and acceleration.
The race for management in AI is way from over. From cutting-edge basis fashions to specialised AI functions, the AI panorama within the EU is dynamic. It’s pushed by analysis, rising applied sciences and a thriving ecosystem of startups and scaleups. The AI Continent Motion Plan will increase the European Union’s AI innovation capabilities via actions and insurance policies round 5 key pillars:
- Constructing a large-scale AI information and computing infrastructure
The Fee will strengthen Europe’s AI and supercomputing infrastructure with a community of AI Factories. 13 of those factories are already being deployed round Europe’s world-leading supercomputers. They’ll help EU AI startups, business and researchers in growing AI fashions and functions.
As introduced within the Competitiveness Compass, the EU can even assist arrange AI Gigafactories. These will likely be large-scale amenities outfitted with roughly 100,000 state-of-the-art AI chips, 4 instances greater than present AI factories. They’ll combine large computing energy and information centres to coach and develop advanced AI fashions at unprecedented scale. The AI Gigafactories will lead the following wave of frontier AI fashions and preserve the EU’s strategic autonomy in crucial industrial sectors and science, requiring private and non-private investments. A name for expression of curiosity for consortia is revealed right now.
Non-public funding in Gigafactories will likely be additional stimulated via the InvestAI, which is able to mobilise €20 billion funding for as much as 5 AI Gigafactories throughout the Union.
To stimulate personal sector funding in cloud capability and information centres, the Fee can even suggest a Cloud and AI Improvement Act. The purpose is to no less than triple the EU’s information centre capability within the subsequent 5 to seven years, prioritising extremely sustainable information centres.
- Rising entry to giant and high-quality information
Bolstering AI innovation additionally requires entry to giant volumes of high-quality information. An vital component of the Motion Plan is the creation of Knowledge Labs, bringing collectively and curating giant, high-quality information volumes from totally different sources in AI Factories. A complete Knowledge Union Technique will likely be launched in 2025 to create a real inner marketplace for information that may scale up AI options.
- Growing algorithms and fostering AI adoption in strategic EU sectors
Regardless of the potential of AI, solely 13.5% of firms within the EU have adopted AI. To develop tailor-made AI options, increase their industrial use and full adoption in EU strategic private and non-private sectors, the Fee will launch the Apply AI Technique within the coming months. European AI innovation infrastructure, together with notably the AI Factories and the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), will play an vital function on this Technique.
- Strengthening AI expertise and skills
To fulfill rising demand for AI expertise, the Fee will facilitate worldwide recruitment of extremely expert AI specialists and researchers via initiatives such because the Expertise Pool, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Motion ‘MSCA Select Europe’ and AI fellowships schemes supplied by the upcoming AI Expertise Academy. These actions will contribute to authorized migration pathways for extremely expert non-EU employees within the AI sector and entice one of the best European AI researchers and specialists again to Europe. It is going to additionally develop academic and coaching programmes on AI and Generative AI in key sectors, making ready the following era of AI specialists and supporting the upskilling and reskilling of employees.
- Regulatory simplification
The AI Act raises residents’ belief in know-how and supplies traders and entrepreneurs with the authorized certainty they should scale up and deploy AI all through Europe. The Fee can even launch the AI Act Service Desk, to assist companies adjust to the AI Act. It is going to function the central level of contact and hub for info and steerage on the AI Act.
With this Motion Plan the Fee opens right now two public consultations, working till 4 June 2025, to additional form these AI Continent Motion Plan initiatives.
- A public session inviting all events to share their views on the Cloud and AI Improvement Act
- A public session on Apply AI to determine stakeholder priorities, challenges to the uptake of AI, and the relevance of proposed options and coverage approaches—together with extra measures to make sure the sleek and easy utility of the AI Act.
A 3rd public session on Knowledge Union Technique will likely be launched in Might.
In parallel, the Fee will organise dialogues with business representatives and the general public sector to assist form the Apply AI Technique. These dialogues, along with the general public consultations, will determine related examples of untapped potential in adopting AI applied sciences in particular sectors, their present integration in enterprise and manufacturing processes, and alternatives for scaling up inside these sectors and the broader economic system.
On 1 August 2024 the AI Act entered into drive and tips on prohibited AI practices had been revealed on 4 February 2025. On 24 January 2024, the Fee launched a package deal of measures to help European startups and SMEs within the growth of reliable AI. On 9 July 2024 the amended EuroHPC JU Regulation entered into drive, permitting the set-up of AI Factories. On 10 December 2024, seven consortia had been chosen to ascertain AI Factories, adopted by six extra consortia on 12 March 2025. On the AI Motion Summit in Paris on 11 February 2025, President von der Leyen introduced InvestAI, an initiative to mobilise a €200 billion funding in AI throughout Europe.
