The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) has announced the proposal of seven sites to host Europe’s first AI Factories, marking a pivotal step in the continent’s efforts to establish a leading ecosystem for developing advanced AI models and solutions. This milestone brings the European Union closer to fulfilling President Ursula von der Leyen’s vision of launching AI Factories to drive innovation and competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence.
A €1.5 billion investment in AI leadership
The establishment of the AI Factories represents a €1.5 billion investment, supported by national and EU funding. Half of this funding will be provided by the EU through the Digital Europe Programme and Horizon Europe, targeting AI infrastructure and services. The selected sites are located at prominent research and technology hubs across Europe:
- Barcelona, Spain: “BSC AIF” at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre
- Bologna, Italy: “IT4LIA” at CINECA – Bologna Tecnopolo
- Kajaani, Finland: “LUMI AIF” at CSC
- Bissen, Luxembourg: “Meluxina-AI” at LuxProvide
- Linköping, Sweden: “MIMER” at the University of Linköping
- Stuttgart, Germany: “HammerHAI” at the University of Stuttgart
- Athens, Greece: “Pharos” at GRNET
These facilities bring together 15 EU Member States and two EuroHPC participants, with several nations collaborating on individual projects. For instance, Portugal, Romania, and Türkiye are part of the BSC AIF, while Austria and Slovenia are involved with IT4LIA.
Expanding Europe’s AI infrastructure
Five of the sites – in Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and Sweden – will deploy state-of-the-art AI-optimized supercomputers. Spain’s AI Factory will be built upon the existing EuroHPC MareNostrum 5 system, while Greece’s facility will operate alongside the DAEDALUS supercomputer, currently under deployment. Additionally, the Spanish and Finnish AI Factories will feature experimental platforms to test and develop innovative AI applications, fostering cross-European collaboration.
Scheduled to be operational between 2025 and 2026, these AI Factories are set to more than double EuroHPC’s computing capacity, addressing critical AI demands and significantly enhancing Europe’s capabilities in this domain.
Supporting AI start-ups, SMEs, and strategic sectors
The AI Factories will provide start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, and researchers with the computational power needed to develop AI systems and models. This includes creating European large language models and domain-specific AI solutions. These initiatives aim to foster innovation in key sectors such as health, manufacturing, climate, finance, autonomous systems, and more.
EuroHPC supercomputers will serve as focal points for AI ecosystems, connecting academia, industry, and financial institutions. This ecosystem will ensure that talent and excellence are matched with funding opportunities to scale up AI-driven businesses and solutions.
Future developments
Several EU Member States have expressed interest in either joining the selected AI Factories or establishing new ones. The next deadline for submitting proposals for additional AI Factories is 1 February 2025.
These initiatives underscore Europe’s commitment to remaining at the forefront of AI innovation, providing the infrastructure, resources, and collaborative networks essential for global leadership in this transformative field.
