The plan has reached the tender stage
Europe's AI gigafactories have moved from speeches and expressions of interest to a formal call.
The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking opened the tender on Thursday. It wants consortia to build and operate up to seven very large AI facilities in EU countries.
The facilities are meant to combine advanced processors, software, cloud services, fast networks and energy-efficient data centres. Public agencies, researchers and companies would use them for training, fine-tuning and running large AI models.
Applications close on 12 November. EuroHPC says it expects to select projects in early 2027, with operations beginning within 18 months of selection.
That timetable is ambitious. It is also more concrete than the earlier promise to build up to five sites.
The €30 billion headline has two different parts
The Commission describes a plan worth more than €30 billion. That is not the same as €30 billion already sitting in a public budget.
EU and national support may reach €10 billion. The Commission then expects that anchor to unlock more than €20 billion from private investors.
The public side is not only offering a subsidy. EuroHPC and participating countries plan to buy access time from the selected facilities, giving the operators a large early customer. The idea is to lower the risk for the companies and investors putting up the rest.
Some public financing can come from the EU's current long-term budget. EuroHPC says the larger part would depend on the next Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028 to 2035.
So the tender is real, and the public commitment is substantial. The full private amount is an expectation, not money secured on launch day.
Europe is trying to buy access, not just machines
The project is partly a response to Europe's dependence on compute infrastructure controlled elsewhere.
The EU already has 19 AI factories, with regional antennas alongside them. Gigafactories are supposed to be much larger and able to support frontier-model work at a scale that most European start-ups, universities and public bodies cannot afford alone.
Consortia or special-purpose companies can apply. They may combine businesses, public bodies, investors and other partners. A project can sit in one country, span several sites or operate across borders.
The access model will matter as much as the hardware. A publicly backed facility does not automatically become affordable or easy to use. Start-ups will need clear prices, queues, technical support and enough allocation to do more than run a short demonstration.
Power, cooling and chips remain physical questions
A compute plan at this scale quickly becomes an energy plan.
The call says the sites should use energy-efficient data centres. It does not yet identify the locations, electricity sources, grid connections or water arrangements for the winning projects.
Those details will vary by bid. They can also decide whether an 18-month launch target is realistic. Advanced chips can be ordered; a new grid connection, substation or planning approval may take much longer.
Chip supply is another open question. The Commission says the sites will use a very large number of state-of-the-art AI processors, but the final vendors and procurement terms will emerge through the bids.
Sovereign infrastructure can still depend on imported processors, software and specialised equipment. Building in Europe changes control over the facility. It does not remove every dependency.
What is confirmed, expected and still open
Confirmed: EuroHPC has opened a competitive tender for up to seven AI gigafactories. Applications close on 12 November, selection is planned for early 2027 and the winning projects are expected to start operating within 18 months.
The policy expectation: up to €10 billion in EU and national support will help attract more than €20 billion in private investment and expand access to large-scale AI compute.
Still open: which consortia apply, how many sites are selected, the final public contribution, binding private commitments, customer prices, processor suppliers and the local energy, grid and water arrangements.
Europe has often been criticised for writing plans while other regions build. This call is a building mechanism, not another discussion paper.
The harder test comes next: whether seven facilities can be financed, connected and made genuinely usable — not just announced.
Sources
- European Commission — AI Gigafactories callPrimary Commission announcement published 30 July 2026. Source for the number of facilities, up to €10 billion in public support, expected private investment and intended users.
- EuroHPC Joint Undertaking — AI Gigafactories tenderPrimary procurement notice. Source for applicant structure, anchor-customer model, deadline, selection timetable, operating target and cross-border options.
- European Commission — AI Continent Action Plan progressPrimary Commission update published 9 April 2026. Source for the existing 19 AI factories and the earlier expression-of-interest response across 60 sites in 16 member states.
