The European Union has launched a call for proposals to develop AI Factories throughout the bloc to ensure that Europe remains a leader in “trustworthy” artificial intelligence. The initiative aims to create a network of supercomputers available to researchers, start-ups and a range of industries.
An AI Factory is a data centre that creates and trains artificial intelligence (AI) models and produces actionable AI. It can also refer to the product of inferencing, which involves making predictions by running data through an AI model.
These vibrant ecosystems nurture AI collaboration, innovation and development to create state-of-the-art generative AI models. They can help drive advancements across various fields, from healthcare and energy to transport, defence, aerospace, robotics and manufacturing, as well as agri-tech.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The EU is now seeking proposals to establish a network of AI Factories on the continent, with the goal of creating a world-class infrastructure.
“Europe is already leading the way with the EU AI Act, ensuring AI is safer and more trustworthy,” says Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. “Earlier this year, we fulfilled our promise by opening our high-performance computers to European AI start-ups. Now, Europe must also become a global leader in AI innovation. AI Factories will help secure our position at the forefront of this transformative technology.”
According to the EU, these factories will bring together vast computing power, data and talent. They will assist AI developers in building large generative models by utilising European High-Performance Computing (EuroHPC) supercomputers and providing data, storage and computing access.
“By tapping into the extraordinary potential of our homegrown supercomputers, the factories will allow European SMEs, scientists and start-ups to develop as AI innovators, and set the pace for EU’s leadership in this domain,” adds Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age.
The call for proposals is open until 31st December 2025, with an initial deadline of 4th November 2024. The initiative is supported with €1 billion from the Digital Europe Programme and Horizon Europe. For more information, click here.
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