AI News Monitor

In a landmark move to position Europe as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today unveiled the InvestAI initiative at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris. The ambitious plan aims to mobilize €200 billion in investments for AI development, including the creation of a new €20 billion European fund dedicated to building AI giga factories across the continent.

The initiative is designed to foster open, collaborative development of advanced AI models, ensuring that Europe becomes a hub for AI innovation. The new AI giga factories, which will be equipped with around 100,000 state-of-the-art AI chips, will specialize in training the most complex AI models, particularly in critical fields such as medicine and science. These facilities will be four times more powerful than current AI factories, making them the largest public-private partnership in the world for the development of trustworthy AI.

A European Approach to AI

President von der Leyen emphasized Europe’s unique approach to AI, rooted in openness, cooperation, and talent. “AI will improve our healthcare, spur our research and innovation, and boost our competitiveness,” she said. “We want AI to be a force for good and for growth. This is why, together with our Member States and partners, we will mobilize unprecedented capital through InvestAI for European AI giga factories. This unique public-private partnership, akin to a CERN for AI, will enable all our scientists and companies—not just the biggest—to develop the most advanced very large models needed to make Europe an AI continent.”

The initiative will be supported by a layered fund structure, with the EU budget de-risking investments from other partners. Initial funding will come from existing EU programs such as the Digital Europe Programme, Horizon Europe, and InvestEU. Member States are also encouraged to contribute through their Cohesion envelopes.

A Boost for Innovation and Industry

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will play a key role in supporting the initiative. EIB President Nadia Calviño stated, “Together with the EU Commission, the EIB Group is stepping up support for Artificial Intelligence, a key driver of innovation and productivity in Europe.”

The InvestAI initiative builds on the Commission’s previous efforts to support AI innovation, including the establishment of seven AI factories announced in December 2024. These factories, co-financed by the EU and Member States, represent the largest public investment in AI globally, unlocking over ten times more private investment. They have already provided startups and industries with unprecedented access to supercomputers.

A Comprehensive AI Strategy

The InvestAI fund is part of a broader AI innovation package presented by the Commission in January 2024. This package includes initiatives to strengthen the EU’s generative AI talent pool, encourage public and private investments in AI startups, and accelerate the development of Common European Data Spaces. Additionally, the ‘GenAI4EU’ initiative aims to support novel AI applications across Europe’s 14 industrial ecosystems, including robotics, health, biotech, manufacturing, mobility, climate, and virtual worlds.

Later this year, the Commission will launch the ‘Apply AI’ initiative to drive industrial adoption of AI in key sectors. A European AI Research Council will also be established to pool resources and explore the untapped potential of data to support AI and other technologies.

A Historic Day for AI in Europe

Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, hailed the launch of InvestAI as a historic moment. “Today is a historical day—we have set the foundation for our future AI giga factories. By putting together our resources, we will enable AI entrepreneurs to innovate and scale up in the most demanding fields of AI. We will be ready to lead the way on AI with state-of-the-art infrastructure,” she said.

The InvestAI initiative marks a significant step forward in Europe’s quest to become a global leader in AI, ensuring that the continent remains at the forefront of technological innovation and economic growth.