At the artificial intelligence (AI) Action Summit in Paris on February 11, President Ursula von der Leyen introduced InvestAI, a groundbreaking initiative to mobilize €200 billion for AI investment.
Central to this effort is a €20 billion European fund dedicated to AI gigafactories—large-scale infrastructure designed to foster open, collaborative development of the most advanced AI models and position Europe as a global AI leader.
President Ursula von der Leyen stated:
“That’s why, in partnership with Member States and industry, we are mobilizing unprecedented capital through InvestAI for European AI gigafactories.
This public-private initiative, akin to a ‘CERN for AI,’ will empower scientists and businesses of all sizes—not just the largest—to develop cutting-edge AI models and solidify Europe’s position as an AI powerhouse.”
European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño added:
“The EIB Group, in collaboration with the European Commission, is reinforcing its support for AI—a key driver of European innovation and productivity.”
AI gigafactories: Scaling Europe’s AI capabilities
InvestAI will fund four AI gigafactories across the EU to train the next generation of complex, large-scale AI models. These facilities will provide the computing power needed to drive breakthroughs in medicine and scientific research. Each gigafactory will house approximately 100,000 next-generation AI chips—four times more than today’s AI hubs.
As the world’s largest public-private initiative for trustworthy AI, these gigafactories will follow Europe’s cooperative, open innovation model, focusing on industrial and mission-critical AI applications.
The goal is to ensure that companies of all sizes—not just industry giants—have access to high-performance computing to develop the AI technologies of the future.
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A strategic investment model
InvestAI will operate through a layered fund structure, offering varying risk and return profiles. The EU budget will help derisk private investments, while initial funding will come from existing EU digital programs like Digital Europe, Horizon Europe, and InvestEU.
Member States can also contribute by allocating Cohesion funds. AI gigafactory financing will blend grants and equity, serving as a key pilot under the Competitiveness Compass strategy for high-priority technologies.
This initiative builds on the Commission’s €10 billion AI Factories program, launched in December, which has already unlocked more than ten times that amount in private investment. The upcoming announcement of five additional AI Factories will expand Europe’s AI capabilities further, offering start-ups and industries broad access to supercomputing resources.
Next steps
Alongside InvestAI, the European Commission is rolling out multiple initiatives to accelerate AI innovation across the continent:
- Funding for generative AI through Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe program.
- Expanding Europe’s AI talent pool via education, training, and workforce upskilling.
- Boosting AI start-ups and scale-ups through venture capital and equity support.
- Enhancing Common European Data Spaces, providing critical datasets to train and refine AI models.
- Launching ‘GenAI4EU’, fostering AI-driven solutions across 14 industrial sectors, including health, biotech, manufacturing, mobility, and climate.
Additionally, the Commission will establish a European AI Research Council to pool resources and maximize Europe’s AI potential. Later this year, the ‘Apply AI’ initiative will further drive AI adoption in key industries.
With InvestAI, Europe is pushing to lead in AI innovation, ensuring that all companies—from start-ups to industry leaders—can build an AI-powered future.
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