European supercomputers to be accessible from Serbia – EU building “antenna” for its AI factories here

The European Commission has announced the launch of the “AI Factory Antennas” initiative in seven EU member states - Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Malta and Slovakia - as well as in partner countries, including Iceland, Moldova, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, North Macedonia and Serbia, foreign media reported.

What are “AI Factory Antennas?”

Let us remind that, as eKapija wrote in April, the European Commission has identified the establishment of artificial intelligence factories as a strategic priority, as announced in last year’s Artificial Intelligence Innovation Package.

The package envisages that by 2025-2026, at least 15 AI factories and several antennas (connected to AI-optimized supercomputers in existing AI factories) will be operational across the EU, enabling a pan-EU “AI ecosystem” and promoting growth by prioritizing access for AI startups and SMEs.

At least nine new AI-optimized supercomputers will be acquired and deployed across the EU, more than tripling the current EuroHPC AI computing capacity.

The AI factories will be deployed across the following European countries: Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Finland, Poland, Bulgaria and Slovenia.

And now we’ve also heard where the “antennas” will be located - in fact, hubs, local access points connected to the main AI centers (AI factories), which allow remote access to these resources.

The locations were unveiled today by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to the Western Balkans, which she began in Tirana, saying that this way companies from the region are given access to European AI infrastructure, RTT News reported.

These Antennas will collaborate closely with AI Factories to provide national AI communities with secure remote access to world-class, AI-optimized supercomputing resources. Fully integrated into the EuroHPC ecosystem, the network aims to expand access to AI talent, infrastructure, and innovation across Europe.

Another 6 new AI factories in the EU

They also remind that, on Friday, the Commission also announced a major expansion of Europe's AI infrastructure, adding six new AI Factories to the existing network, bringing the total to 19 AI Factories across 16 Member States.

This rollout, as said, drives forward the AI Continent Action Plan and complements the EU's investment in future AI Gigafactories, large-scale facilities dedicated to developing and training advanced AI models and frontier systems, while aligning with the Apply AI Strategy to accelerate the uptake of artificial intelligence across Europe’s economy and public sector.

B. P.

European Commission

Ursula von der Leyen

AI Factory Antennas

AI Gigafactories