It is an announcement that underscores the urgency felt in Brussels. The European Commission officially launched, on July 30, a call for bids to build seven giant AI factories, backed by a public package of €10 billion (about $11.5 billion).
A sum that the European executive hopes to see multiplied by private investors, with an objective of at least €20 billion more coming from the private sector.
From five to seven projects
Evidence of the appetite this project has aroused among member states: the number of planned gigafactories has risen from five to seven, the Commission having received strong interest from EU countries.
These installations will bring together state-of-the-art AI processors, software, cloud technologies, ultra-high-speed connectivity, and data centers. They will complement the 19 “AI factories” already in existence in various bloc member states.
For the European commissioner responsible for technology, Henna Virkkunen, the stakes go beyond mere industrial competition: “Access to raw computing power within the AI gigafactories is a strategic necessity for Europe as the development of AI accelerates.”
The message is clear: the Union intends to close its technological gap with the United States and China, which dominate the race for AI infrastructure.
The tender is open to consortia or dedicated investment vehicles (special purpose vehicles), bringing together technology suppliers, cloud service providers, public sector entities and investors.
A matter of technological sovereignty
The timetable set by Brussels is as follows: bids close on November 12, 2026, laureates announced in early 2027, then the installations up and running within 18 months of contract signing.
The project will unfold in two phases: an initial stage dedicated to establishing the sites, followed by a second stage focused on scaling up their operations.
On the supplier side, three heavyweight American chipmakers have already signaled their interest: AMD, Nvidia and Qualcomm have signed letters of intent with the Commission to supply processors to the consortiums involved in the gigafactory projects.
France has committed to procuring €100 million worth of computing capacity from the project selected on its territory. This capacity will serve the future needs of public administrations, particularly those in research and health institutions.
Scheduled for 2027, this commitment concerns purchasing capacity from private operators. It is separate from the investments the State is pursuing in parallel to develop its own computing infrastructure.
