The latest amendment to the EuroHPC JU extends its objectives to facilitate the creation of AI gigafactories in Europe and adds a dedicated quantum technologies pillar.
The amended regulation allows for the development and operation of AI gigafactories in Europe, a world-class AI compute infrastructure that will strengthen Europe’s industry and competitiveness, while fostering cooperation through public-private partnerships that include member states and industry stakeholders.
It also sets rules for funding and procurement, while safeguarding the interests of start-ups and scale-ups. It provides partners with flexibility, enabling them to optimise results while advancing Europe’s leadership in AI and quantum technologies.
Nicodemos Damianou, Cyprus deputy minister of research, innovation and digital policy, explained: “Today, we’ve taken a bold and swift step towards proceeding with establishing AI gigafactories in Europe.
“AI is one of the most critical technologies of our time, defining our digital future, and investing in the needed infrastructure capacity for AI is essential for boosting Europe’s resilience, competitiveness, and sovereignty.”
Expanding AI gigafactories to boost European innovation
EuroHPC aims to develop, deploy, and maintain supercomputing, quantum computing, and data infrastructure in the EU, while also supporting the growth of high-performance computing (HPC) systems, technologies, and skills for European science and industry.
The EuroHPC regulation was amended in 2024 to include the development and operation of AI factories – dynamic ecosystems that promote innovation and collaboration in artificial intelligence.
The Commission’s proposed second amendment, introduced on 15 July 2025, builds on this by supporting the establishment of AI gigafactories, further advancing Europe’s leadership in AI innovation.
Supporting larger AI models
The AI gigafactories will be state-of-the-art, large-scale facilities that offer massive computing power, hosted in energy-efficient data centres that support the full AI lifecycle, including the development, training, and large-scale inference of very large AI models and applications.
AI gigafactories will provide advanced computing resources to European researchers, startups, and industrial partners.
Built on an environmentally sustainable compute infrastructure, they will reinforce the European Union’s strategic autonomy and competitiveness in advanced AI technologies.
They will facilitate the development of powerful, responsible AI models trained on European data, ensuring safe, trustworthy, and ethical AI.
Expanding the potential for quantum technologies
The new quantum technologies pillar will address the full quantum ecosystem, including quantum computing and simulation, quantum communication, and quantum sensing and metrology across diverse application domains.
It will strengthen the security, resilience and competitiveness of the European quantum supply chain, while enhancing the EU’s scientific and industrial leadership, strategic autonomy, and technological sovereignty.
EuroHPC JU will be responsible for implementing the Union’s quantum technology agenda, including research and innovation activities such as the Union’s Quantum Flagship, funded by the Horizon Europe Programme.
Future calls in quantum technologies will be integrated into the EuroHPC JU’s work programme, fostering synergies across HPC and quantum technologies, which will support fundamental and applied research, the lab-to-fab transition, and the deployment and integration of quantum technologies in world-class infrastructures, building a dynamic, sustainable, and resilient EU quantum ecosystem.
New expert group in quantum technologies
Consequently, the EuroHPC JU and its governance structure will adopt changes to include expertise in quantum technologies.
In the coming months, as part of EuroHPC JU’s Industrial and Scientific Advisory Board, a new EuroHPC Quantum Technologies Advisory Group (QTAG) will be established.
QTAG will provide input to the JU’s Multi Annual Strategic Plan (MASP), as well as expert advice to the EuroHPC JU’s Governing Board, alongside the existing Research and Innovation Advisory Group (RIAG) and the Infrastructure Advisory Group (INFRAG).
The EuroHPC JU is currently preparing to implement these changes, which are now effective.
