The EuroHPC project adds a new pillar: AI Factories. This initiative supports the development of a competitive and innovative AI ecosystem in the European Union.

The change in the work program of the EuroHPC project allows the development and management of AI factories. EuroHPC is a consortium focused on supercomputer plans and was founded in 2018. Since its inception, EuroHPC has purchased nine supercomputers distributed across Europe.

These AI factories will act as a hub for startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and academic users, providing access to services, skills development and user support.

The AI ​​Factories will be used to develop, test, evaluate and validate large-scale AI training models and new AI applications. They will also support the further development of AI solutions within the EU that use high-performance computing (HPC) and large-scale AI algorithms to solve scientific problems.

EuroHPC will provide AI-specific supercomputing and service infrastructures to support the European AI startup and research ecosystem. The modified program will enable EuroHPC to select host entities (HEs) for these supercomputers and set up the associated AI factories.

Execution and budget

Starting in September 2024, EuroHPC will launch a two-pronged call:

• AI factory with an optimized supercomputer and a new AI-optimized supercomputer: This track involves the selection of a new host entity or an existing guest entity for the acquisition or upgrade of an AI EuroHPC supercomputer.

• AI factories for existing HPC centers: This track is intended for existing EuroHPC host units that can demonstrate sufficient computational power to train large-scale AI models and applications.

After the host companies are selected, tenders will be launched for the purchase as well as two grants: one for the running costs of the supercomputers and another to support AI Factories’ activities and services. In addition, there is an optional grant for the development of an advanced experimental AI-optimized supercomputing platform.

The EU budget for the acquisition or upgrade of AI EuroHPC supercomputers is estimated at €400 million in 2024, with a total of up to €800 million by 2027, depending on budget availability. A maximum of €180 million is available for the construction and operation of AI factories, depending on the Horizon Europe budget.

The call for proposals runs until December 31, 2025, with the first deadline ending on November 1, 2024 and then every three months thereafter. Submitted applications will be evaluated until the available budget is exhausted.