Strong Interest in European AI Gigafactory Push

The European Commission received 76 expressions of interest to develop AI gigafactories across 16 EU member states. The EC stated that the response significantly surpassed its expectations.

Interested companies weren't named due to confidentiality, the EC confirmed responses from a range of stakeholders, including European and international tech companies, data centre operators, telecoms providers, energy suppliers, and financial investors. The respondents also outlined plans to acquire a total of at least 3 million latest-generation GPUs as part of the push.

EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said at a press conference that the level of interest received far exceeds the EC's expectations. She added that the interest showcases Europe’s growing momentum and enthusiasm for innovating in AI. The response comes after the EC issued a call for expressions of interest, which closed on 20 June, to identify potential consortia and gather early input for the next phase of the continent’s AI push.

The call, which outlined plans to build across 60 proposed sites, came after the regulator earmarked €20 billion to support the construction of four AI gigafactories earlier this year. These high-capacity compute and storage facilities will support advanced AI model training and are set to play a key role in strengthening the EU’s digital infrastructure.

Although the consultation did not involve funding or formal commitments, it is set to shape the official call for proposals expected by the end of this year. In addition, the initiative forms part of the EU’s AI Continent Action Plan and will serve as a pilot project for the regulator’s competitiveness coordination tool, which aims to align policies and implementation across member states.