Executive summary
On 10 October 2025, the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (JU) selected six additional AI Factories to be deployed in Czechia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Spain, expanding the EU network to 19 AI Factories across 16 Member States. This “third wave” is backed by €500+ million in joint EU–Member State investment and brings the cumulative AI Factories & Antennas commitment to €2.6+ billion. Spain’s new site, 1HealthAI, will include an experimental platform focused on One-Health (human–animal–environment) applications. Two business days later, on 13 October 2025, EuroHPC also announced 13 AI Factory Antennas to extend reach and on-ramps for SMEs and public bodies across Europe. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+2Digital Strategy+2
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What AI Factories are (and aren’t)
AI Factories are national “one-stop shops” that couple AI-optimised high-performance computing (HPC) with data services, training, and expert support, prioritising startups, SMEs, researchers, and public authorities. They are part of the Commission’s Apply AI Strategy and AI Continent agenda, and sit alongside forthcoming AI Gigafactories (ultra-large model training hubs) and the EU’s AI Act framework for trustworthy AI. Digital Strategy
The six newly selected sites (announced 10 Oct 2025)
- Czechia – CZAI
Hosted by IT4Innovations (linking to the KarolAIna system building on the Karolina EuroHPC machine). Focus: practical AI applications, infrastructure, and workforce skills; broad academic–industry consortium led by VSB—Technical University of Ostrava. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu - Lithuania – LitAI Factory
Led by Vilnius University; hosted at LRTC VDC3 (Vilnius). Scope: full-stack AI services (AI-HPC, storage, accelerators, innovation support) with sector focus on cybersecurity, green energy, smart industry, digital health; coordinated links with Polish HPC/quantum sites. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu - Netherlands – NLAIF
Led by the AIFNL Foundation with SURF, TNO, Samenwerking Noord, AIC4NL. Emphasis on sensitive data (e.g., health, IP-protected datasets), secure/sovereign infrastructure, and large-scale application deployment (healthcare, safety, agriculture). eurohpc-ju.europa.eu - Poland – Gaia AI Factory
Operated by Cyfronet AGH within PLGrid; aims to accelerate AI adoption via big-data infrastructure, training, and a talent pipeline. Sector focus includes healthcare, space, and LLMs; will coordinate with PIAST (quantum) and LUMI AI. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu - Romania – RO AI Factory
Hosted/co-coordinated in Bucharest by ICI Bucharest with University Politehnica of Bucharest and a national network of institutes/associations. Plans: acquire AI-optimised supercomputer, provide HPC access, data spaces, model development support, and trustworthy-AI tooling to bring SMEs from adopters to innovators. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu - Spain – 1HealthAI (Galicia, CESGA)
A One-Health-oriented site (human–animal–environment) with an experimental platform for model R&D; hosted at CESGA and supported by Spain’s Ministry of Science and the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES). Local partners include Galicia’s universities and innovation hubs (e.g., DATAlife, Gradiant). Spanish press reports cite €82M total, incl. €24M from the national government; Spain becomes one of just three Member States with two AI Factories (with Barcelona/BSC). eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+1
Deployment timeline: EuroHPC indicates these sites are set to be deployed next year, i.e., 2026. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
Complementary expansion: 13 AI Factory Antennas (13 Oct 2025)
EuroHPC selected 13 AI Factory Antennas in Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia and partner countries (Iceland, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, UK). Antennas are lighter-weight gateways that:
- extend access to AI-optimised compute (including small local AI systems for fine-tuning/testing)
- provide training, datasets, sandboxes
- co-operate under MoUs with linked AI Factories by mid-2026
EU funding ~€55M (matched nationally). eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
Investment picture and strategic fit
- Third wave funding: €500M+ joint EU–Member State investment; total AI Factories + Antennas commitments >€2.6B. Digital Strategy
- Policy alignment: AI Factories support the Apply AI Strategy and AI Continent Action Plan, complement the AI Act (risk-based rules), and foreshadow AI Gigafactories (industrial-scale model training). Digital Strategy+1
- Ecosystem role: Factories open HPC to startups/SMEs, lowering barriers to frontier-model training, sensitive-data AI, and domain-specific applications (health, manufacturing, climate, agri-food, finance, space). eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+1
Why this matters (analysis)
- Sovereign compute and data
Distributing AI-optimised HPC across Member States reduces dependency on non-EU hyperscalers for training/fine-tuning, especially with sensitive datasets (health, IP). The Netherlands’ NLAIF explicitly targets these use cases. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu - SME on-ramp and skills
Antennas + Factories create a ladder from “try & test” to “scale & deploy,” with training and advisory services—particularly critical in Romania (SMEs to innovators) and Poland (talent programmes). eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+1 - Sector depth via experimental platforms
Spain’s 1HealthAI and earlier experimental sites (e.g., Finland/Spain in the first tranche) move beyond raw compute toward platform-level experimentation—speeding model evaluation, reliability, and safety in regulated domains. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+1 - Network effects
The 19-node Factory network plus Antennas encourage cross-border projects, data-space interoperability, and shared benchmarks—a precondition for competitive LLMs and domain models within EU law. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+1
Access and participation (for startups, SMEs, researchers)
- How to get compute/time: EuroHPC runs AI Factories and Supercomputers Access Calls; eligibility is EU-wide regardless of host location. Look for AI Factory Access Calls and EuroHPC Access Calls. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
- What you get:
- AI-HPC compute (GPU-dense nodes, high-speed storage/networking)
- Secure workspaces/data spaces for sensitive data (notably in NLAIF)
- Advisory & training (model dev, optimisation, MLOps, compliance)
- Domain programmes (e.g., One-Health at 1HealthAI) eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
Tip for proposals: Emphasise trustworthy AI (alignment with the AI Act), data-protection by design, energy-efficiency, and measurable impact in strategic sectors (health, climate, manufacturing). Reference how your work benefits pan-EU data spaces and SME ecosystems. Digital Strategy
Risks and challenges to monitor
- Energy & sustainability constraints
GPU-dense clusters add power and cooling pressure. Projects should include PUE/WUE targets, renewable sourcing, and scheduling for grid stability; some Factories (e.g., in Northern Europe) may have a climatic advantage, but all must plan efficiency. (Policy context: EuroHPC/EC emphasise efficiency; site-specific power data are not yet public for these six.) Digital Strategy - Talent scarcity
With 19 Factories + 13 Antennas, demand for HPC/AI engineers and responsible-AI expertise will spike; the networks’ training pipelines can mitigate but won’t fully close the gap in the near term. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu - Fragmentation vs. interoperability
Success depends on harmonised access policies, portable tooling, and shared evaluation protocols, avoiding siloed national stacks—EuroHPC’s coordinating role is central here. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu - Time-to-deploy
The new sites target 2026 deployment; delays in procurement, facilities readiness, or supply chains (AI accelerators, networking) could push timelines. Aligning with AI Act compliance readiness is also a dependency. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+1
Country-level quick notes for operators, founders, and researchers
- Czechia (CZAI): If you’re in manufacturing/chemistry/biomed with academic partners (VSB, Charles University, Czech Technical University), CZAI offers a strong research–industry bridge plus access to KarolAIna. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
- Lithuania (LitAI): A good fit for cybersecurity & green-tech startups and digital-health research; located in a modern LRTC facility with cross-border links. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
- Netherlands (NLAIF): Best suited for regulated data AI (health/IP). Engage early if you need secure, sovereign environments and bespoke scaling support. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
- Poland (Gaia AI): If you work on LLMs/space/health, Gaia’s national reach via PLGrid and ties to LUMI/PIAST can accelerate pilots to production. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
- Romania (RO AI): Designed to upskill SMEs—great entry point if you’re earlier-stage and need both compute + advisory and data-space hosting. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
- Spain (1HealthAI, CESGA): Ideal for One-Health, genomics, personalised medicine, agri-food, and environmental AI; includes an experimental platform; funding details signal strong national backing. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+1
What to do next (actionable)
- Identify your nearest on-ramp: If your country has an Antenna, start there for lighter-weight compute, training, and guidance, then move to a linked AI Factory for scale-up. MoUs target mid-2026 completion. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
- Prepare for Access Calls: Keep a ready 2–3 page project brief (objective, datasets, compliance posture, expected compute profile, impact metrics) and an ethics & compliance addendum (AI Act alignment). eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
- Design for trust and efficiency: Incorporate model cards, eval plans (safety, reliability, bias), data governance, and energy-efficiency measures from day one; these increase competitiveness in EuroHPC evaluations. Digital Strategy
Timeline snapshot
- Dec 2024: First 7 AI Factories selected (FI, DE, GR, IT, LU, ES, SE); some with experimental platforms. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
- Mar 2025: Second wave (AT, BG, FR, DE, PL, SI). Digital Strategy
- 10 Oct 2025: Third wave (CZ, LT, NL, RO, ES, PL) → total 19. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+1
- 13 Oct 2025: 13 AI Factory Antennas selected; MoUs by mid-2026. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
- 2026: Deployment of the new Factories targeted. eurohpc-ju.europa.eu
Sources
Primary announcements and policy context: EuroHPC press releases (Oct 10 & Oct 13, 2025) and EC Digital Strategy pages on AI Factories/expansion. Spain-specific funding/context from national press. El País+4eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+4eurohpc-ju.europa.eu+4
