The European Commission is earmarking 2.1 billion euros for the advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) through investments in supercomputers within the EuroHPC project. Targeting the development of a robust start-up and innovation ecosystem, the Commission aims to accelerate generative AI progress in Europe.
In pursuit of a functioning ecosystem, the Commission has outlined an action plan, highlighting the creation of AI plants – European public supercomputers dedicated to fostering artificial intelligence. These AI factories will feature experts in supercomputing and AI, catering to data specialists, researchers, and start-ups for collaborative use.
The designated funds will be integrated into the EuroHPC JU supercomputer project, a broader initiative backed by an 8-billion-euro investment from 2018 to 2027. The 2.1 billion euros will specifically support specialized AI supercomputers, accessible only to organizations committed to developing “ethical and responsible AI models and systems.” The use of these supercomputers is expected to expedite AI model training, reducing the timeline from months to weeks and offering a cost-effective alternative to commercial services, saving tens of millions of euros.
In addition to the AI plants, the Commission plans to augment investments in Common European Data Spaces, enriching the quality of data available for AI model training across various sectors such as health, media, mobility, tourism, and agriculture.
To further bolster the start-up and scale-up landscape, the Commission is allocating 100 million euros, with the expectation that this investment will attract additional funding from other governments and investors, aiming for a total of 1 billion euros in available investments.
