Bull inaugurated its new production facility in Angers, a site whose construction dates back to 1963.
With an 80 million euro investment, the French maker of supercomputers is doubling its industrial capacity as Europe seeks to bolster its autonomy in high-performance computing and AI.
According to Reuters, the site’s output has already risen from six to twelve racks per month. Bull says it could reach 24 racks per month in 2027 if demand remains steady.
The plant is presented by Bull as the only European industrial site capable of assembling large supercomputers. It designs, integrates, tests and validates advanced computing machines, AI infrastructures, enterprise servers and, ultimately, quantum technologies.
The new building covers 20,000 m², of which 10,700 m² are dedicated to production. Bull announces a doubling of capacity, a 30% increase in productivity and a 30% reduction in the building’s maintenance costs.
A Demand Driven by AI
This doubling of capacity comes amid a context of strong growth in orders.
Emmanuel Le Roux, Bull’s CEO, told Reuters that the company had received more orders this year than ever before and had won 15 of the 18 EuroHPC tenders, notably against Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
The European Union has committed 7 billion euros between 2021 and 2027 to develop a European network of supercomputers, aiming to bridge the computing capacity gap with the United States and China.
Bull is assembling JUPITER, the first European exascale supercomputer, operated at the Jülich center in Germany. The Angers site is also set to deliver in 2027 Alice Recoque, the future French exascale system, and LUMI-AI, the core of the LUMI AI Factory in Finland.
The French order Alice Recoque accounts for 94 racks and is being assembled in parallel with LUMI-AI, a €388 million contract awarded by Finland and touted as Bull’s largest ever project. According to Reuters, these two programs could not have been pursued simultaneously before the plant’s expansion.
Toward a European AI Industry
Bull is also launching the Open Factory program, intended to open its industrial capabilities to companies working in AI, advanced computing and quantum technologies.
The objective is to help these players move from the lab to large-scale production, while promoting the reshoring of manufacturing for strategic infrastructures in Europe.
The partnership announced with Foxconn plans to manufacture in Europe AI servers based on the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 platform, with final assembly in Angers.
According to Reuters, European components now account for 70% of the machines produced, up from 20–30% five years ago. The plant also assembles systems that incorporate Nvidia, AMD and Intel processors, depending on client needs.
The French state has become Bull’s sole shareholder after purchasing the company from Atos for a valuation that could reach €404 million.
