High-performance computing: First official EU AI factories take shape
The EU Commission has received seven proposals for AI factories to promote innovation in the member states, one of which comes from Germany.
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The EU has come another step closer to setting up the first factories for artificial intelligence (AI), which is due to start at the beginning of 2025. The first seven proposals for such hubs have been submitted to the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC), the EU Commission announced on Monday. The planned AI factories are to "create a thriving European ecosystem for the training of advanced AI models and the development of AI solutions" using EuroHPC resources. The aim is to use the factories to significantly increase the computing power available in Europe for European AI start-ups, industry and researchers.
The EuroHPC launched the call for the operation of the AI hubs in September, after the Commission made the corresponding proposal in January and the Council of Ministers approved it in May. A total of seven consortia from 15 member states and two associated countries then applied. In addition to Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden and Greece are among the candidates. In addition, Finland – wants to operate AI factories together with the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Poland – and Italy with the participation of Austria and Slovenia.
The prerequisite is that a supercomputer that is adapted to AI requirements already exists in the participating countries or is to be built. The EuroHPC core network itself includes the three computing systems Leonardo in Italy, Lumi in Finland, MareNostrum5 in Spain, Disoverer in Bulgaria, MeluXina in Luxembourg and Karolina in the Czech Republic. Exa supercomputers are to be added, with Jupiter in JĂĽlich and Jules Verne in France. The Commission did not answer a question from heise online on Monday as to which institution or which partners from Germany want to get one of the AI factories up and running.
2.1 billion euros in state funding
The proposals submitted will now be evaluated by an independent panel of experts. EuroHPC plans to announce the selection of the first AI factories in December so that they can go into operation soon afterward. Meanwhile, Cyprus and Slovenia have submitted expressions of interest to either join ongoing applications or set up their own AI factory at a later date. EuroHPC will accept further applications in a second round until February 1, 2025.
In the negotiations, the Council ensured that the AI centers offer fair access to supercomputers and that their resources are made available to a larger number of public and private users, especially start-ups. The Commission, the Member States and the associated countries want to invest a total of 2.1 billion euros in the acquisition of new or the upgrading of existing EuroHPC supercomputers with AI functions, the provision of associated services and the development of adapted microprocessors and skills support. They also hope to trigger billions in private investment.
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