On July 30, 2026, the European Commission announced a €10 billion plan for seven AI gigafactories.
Why it matters: The proposal would expand Europe’s AI compute base and could steer major training workloads, chip demand and data-center investment inside the bloc. It also aims to draw in much more private capital around the projects.
- The European Commission said it plans to put €10 billion toward seven AI gigafactories.
- The commission says the public money is designed to unlock another €20 billion in private investment.
- EU materials say the facilities would be built to train next-generation AI models with more than 100,000 advanced AI processors.
- The Council of the EU said on Jan. 16, 2026, it adopted an amendment to expand EuroHPC’s mandate to support AI gigafactories and add a quantum pillar.
The European Commission announced a €10 billion plan for seven AI gigafactories, turning a broader policy push into a specific financing proposal. AP reported the announcement here: AP.
The commission says the public funding is intended to help draw in another €20 billion in private investment. In a statement, Henna Virkkunen, the commission's executive vice president for tech sovereignty, said: "Access to the raw scale of computing power within AI gigafactories is a strategic necessity for Europe as AI development accelerates." The commission’s InvestAI page describes the plan as a way to mobilize public and private financing for AI infrastructure: European Commission InvestAI.
Commission materials say AI gigafactories are meant for training next-generation AI models and would house more than 100,000 advanced AI processors. The same materials say the projects will emphasize power, supply chains, networking, energy efficiency and automation: European Commission AI Factories.
The Council of the EU said on Jan. 16, 2026, it adopted an amendment to support AI gigafactories and add a quantum technologies pillar to EuroHPC: Council of the EU. The commission’s digital strategy page says the formal call for AI Gigafactories was expected in summer 2026, while the provided materials do not identify host countries or sites: European Commission AI Factories.
By the numbers
- €10 billion - planned public funding for seven AI gigafactories
- €20 billion - additional private investment the commission says it wants to unlock
- 100,000+ - advanced AI processors expected in each gigafactory, according to EU materials
Yes, but: The announcement still leaves open where the seven sites will be built and how the projects will be selected.
What's next: The commission said the formal call for AI Gigafactories was expected in summer 2026.