The European Commission launched Tuesday a call for setting up ‘AI Factories’ to boost European leadership in trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI).
AI Factories will be created around the EU’s world-class network of European High-Performance Computing (HPC) supercomputers and will be available to a range of European users, such as startups, industry and researchers.
AI Factories will bring together the key ingredients for success in AI: computing power, data and talent. They will help AI developers train their large generative AI models by using the EuroHPC supercomputers and providing access to data, computing and storage services. The Factories will be networked across Europe, providing a unique European collaborative AI framework.
“With the launch of AI Factories, we are leveraging one of Europe’s biggest assets: our world-class supercomputers,” said Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton: “AI Factories will serve as a one-stop shop for Europe’s AI start-ups, helping them develop the most advanced AI models and industrial applications. This will make Europe the best place in the world for trustworthy AI.”
The AI Factories will be connected to Member States’ AI initiatives, creating a vibrant AI ecosystem. The Factories will also profit from Europe’s Testing and Experimentation Facilities and the Digital Innovation Hubs. The AI Factories will propel the development and validation of AI industrial and scientific applications in key European sectors such as healthcare, energy, automotive and transport, defence and aerospace, robotics and manufacturing, clean and agri tech.
The rolling call launched by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking will be continuously open until 31 December 2025, with the first deadline on 4 November 2024 and subsequent cut-off dates every three months for as long as funds are available. The call will be supported by an EU contribution of close to €1 billion from the Digital Europe Programme and Horizon Europe and an equal amount of funding coming from the Member States.
The Commission will also set up a European AI Research Council where Europe can pool resources and explore how it can exploit the untapped potential of data to support AI and other technologies.
