Europe is committed to a vibrant and competitive AI ecosystem, built on core principles of excellence, trust, security, and innovation. Capitalizing on the benefits of AI will hinge on Europe’s capacity to address the surging demand for increased compute capacity across all sectors, to scale and develop a sovereign AI ecosystem. Europe’s supercomputing agency – the EuroHPC JU – has positioned Europe as a leader in delivering high-end compute capacity, with 3 of their 9 machines ranked among the world’s top 10 most powerful supercomputers according to the latest TOP500 ranking. While Europe is a leader in traditional supercomputing, leading the way in AI will require investments in new GPU-charged systems, in addition to a more comprehensive ecosystem approach that encourages advanced R&D and the retention of world-class talent in Europe.  

The Digital Decade Targets for 2030 aims for at least 75% of enterprises to use AI by 2030, yet based on 2023 data, the European average stands at 8% and without further investment, this is only set to approach 17% by 2030. For this reason, earlier in 2024, the EU amended the EuroHPC JU’s mandate to integrate AI into its central objectives, which will also provide European start-ups and SMEs with access to the JU’s compute resources – through the creation of AI Factories. 

These AI Factories are set to ensure tailored supercomputing capacity for AI start-ups, SMEs, and industry, bringing together the necessary ingredients – computer power, data, and talent– to create cutting-edge generative AI models. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised to roll out the first AI Factories initiative within the first 100 days of the new European Commission. And in light of key recommendations from the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism published earlier in 2024, she also envisions setting up a European AI Research Council – operating as a state-of-the-art facility for academic research on AI in Europe – which would offer extensive computational resources, a sustainable cloud infrastructure and specialised AI training for scientists. 

As the new European Commission readies itself for the rollout of the AI Factories and a new AI institute, this webinar will unpack Europe’s supercomputing ecosystem and how it can underpin increased uptake of AI – delivering concrete recommendations on what is needed to ensure a successful sovereign AI ecosystem in Europe.