EU launches tender for up to 7 AI gigafactories

The EU on Thursday launched a call for tenders to establish up to seven artificial intelligence gigafactories across Europe, aiming to expand computing capacity and strengthen technological sovereignty.

The industry-led initiative will receive up to €10 billion ($11.5 billion) in EU and national funding and is expected to mobilize at least €20 billion (around $23 billion) in private investment, bringing the total potential investment to more than €30 billion, the European Commission said.

The facilities will give start-ups, scale-ups, small- and medium-sized enterprises, industrial companies, universities, and public authorities access to infrastructure for training and fine-tuning advanced AI models.

They will combine advanced AI processors, cloud and software systems, high-speed connectivity, and energy-efficient data centers.

Together with Europe’s network of 19 AI factories, the gigafactories are expected to strengthen the bloc’s technological leadership, resilience, and strategic autonomy.

“The opening of the AI Gigafactories call represents a milestone in our AI Continent ambitions,” said Henna Virkkunen, the commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security, and democracy.

The commission said technologies developed at the facilities would comply with EU standards on data protection, safety, security, and ethics.

Consortia involving companies, public institutions, investors, and other partners may apply. The facilities may be based in one member state or developed as cross-border projects.

The procurement will be conducted by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking and participating member states.

The first funding category will support up to four projects, while a second category will support up to three larger projects.

The commission has also signed letters of intent with US chipmakers AMD, Nvidia, and Qualcomm to facilitate access to advanced hardware.

Applications will close on Nov. 12, with award decisions expected in early 2027. Construction is due to begin in 2027, and selected facilities are expected to start operating within 18 months of contract signing.