European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology

11/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/11/2024 08:10

Commission receives seven proposals for AI Factories which will boost AI innovation in the EU

The first seven proposals for artificial intelligence (AI) Factories have now been submitted under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (JU), which manages the call announced in September 2024.

GettyImages © Andrey Suslov

These AI Factories will create a thriving European ecosystem for training advanced AI models and developing AI solutions. They will be built around the EU's world-class network of European High-Performance Computing (HPC) supercomputers and will be bringing together the key ingredients for success in AI: computing power, data and talent. The AI Factories will substantially increase the computing power available for AI in Europe. They will be interconnected and available to European AI startups, industry and researchers.

The seven proposals submitted in total by 15 Member States and two associated participating states demonstrate a very strong interest in this important initiative. Proposals to build an AI Factory around an existing or a new supercomputer adapted to AI needs were submitted by Finland (together with the participation of Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Poland), Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany, Italy (together with the participation of Austria and Slovenia), and Greece. Furthermore, a proposal from Spain together with the participation of Portugal, Romania and Turkey has been submitted and is still expected.

The submitted proposals will now be evaluated by an independent panel of experts. The EuroHPC JU expects to announce the selection of the first AI Factories in December 2024 and launch them soon thereafter.

In addition to the above proposals, Cyprus and Slovenia have submitted letters of interest to either join or create an AI Factory at a later stage. The next cut-off date for the subsequent proposals is the 1st of February 2025.

The EU is now one step closer to setting up the first AI Factories in early 2025, as announced in the political guidelines of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

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