AI Factories | Shaping Europe’s digital future

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2024-12-12 13:30:07

AI Factories leverage the supercomputing capacity of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking to develop trustworthy cutting-edge generative AI models.

AI Factories are dynamic ecosystems that foster innovation, collaboration, and development in the field of AI. They bring together the necessary ingredients – computer power, data, and talent– to create cutting-edge generative AI models. They foster collaboration across Europe, linking universities, supercomputing centers, industry, and financial actors. AI factories serve as hubs driving advancements in AI applications across various sectors such as health, manufacturing, climate, finance, and more.

The Commission has identified the establishment of AI factories as a priority, planning to launch the first ones in 2025. This initiative, highlighted in the political guidelines of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, aims to turn Europe into the "AI continent". The Commission’s goal is to set up AI Factories across Europe, reinforcing the EU commitment to advancing AI technology and innovation.

In December 2024, the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) selected seven consortia to establish the first AI Factories across Europe, marking a significant step towards the creation of a robust AI ecosystem. The seven AI Factories involve 15 Member States and 2 EuroHPC participating States: Portugal, Romania and Türkiye have joined Spain; Austria and Slovenia have joined Italy; and Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Poland have joined the Finland. With an investment of around €1.5 billion from the EU and Member States, these sites will deploy new AI-optimised supercomputers and upgrade existing systems, significantly enhancing Europe's AI capabilities. 