Europe is taking a monumental step toward leadership in artificial intelligence. At the AI Action Summit in Paris, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled InvestAI, a program designed to mobilize €200 billion for AI development, including €20 billion to establish new AI “gigafactories.” These massive computing infrastructures will allow open, collaborative research on the world’s most advanced AI models, positioning Europe as a global AI powerhouse.
“We want AI to be a force for good and for growth,” said President von der Leyen at the summit. “This unique public – private partnership, akin to a CERN for AI, will enable all our scientists and companies – not just the biggest – to develop the most advanced very large models needed to make Europe an AI continent.”
Building on Europe’s Existing Strengths
InvestAI builds upon earlier EU initiatives – most notably the Commission’s AI Factories program, which has already received €10 billion in funding and provided supercomputing access to start-ups and researchers. While Europe’s AI journey is sometimes portrayed as lagging behind the United States and China, President von der Leyen insists that global leadership is still “up for grabs.” To keep pace with the increasing complexity of AI models – the “engines” – Europe is bolstering the full range of infrastructure – “the vehicle” – needed to deploy these models effectively. 
The Vision Behind Gigafactories
These gigafactories will accelerate breakthroughs in fields such as healthcare, robotics, climate tech, and advanced manufacturing by offering large – scale compute capacity to diverse participants. Under a layered fund structure, the EU will help de-risk investments so that smaller companies can afford high-performance AI resources. This focus on commercializing AI highlights a growing understanding that the AI economy will be defined by execution, not just experimentation. As enterprises across Europe seek to transform research into tangible products, the ability to handle real-time inference at scale becomes increasingly critical – an area where specialized infrastructure providers like Stelia can facilitate smooth transitions from prototype to production.
Fluidstack’s Bold Move in France
Private – sector enthusiasm for Europe’s AI momentum is already apparent. Fluidstack, a specialized AI cloud platform, has signed an agreement with the French government to build a decarbonized AI supercomputer powered by nuclear energy. The new facility, which will provide up to 1 gigawatt (GW) of dedicated AI compute power, aims to further cement France’s position as a leading AI hub.
“This partnership allows us to rapidly develop the infrastructure needed to support the next wave of AI innovations,” said César Maklary, Co – founder and President of Fluidstack. “Partnering with the French government and global industry leaders, we are creating the most advanced computing capabilities in the world – right here in France.”
Beyond these headline-grabbing megaprojects, many stakeholders are also embracing more targeted solutions to orchestrate GPUs and optimize compute resources. Stelia – an AI infrastructure provider – illustrates how fine-tuned orchestration and data mobility can unlock real-time AI decision-making across Europe’s emerging AI-first enterprises, ensuring that companies can reliably scale their inference workloads.
A Collaborative Path Forward
These investments underscore the EU’s distinctive brand of AI: open, cooperative, and oriented toward real-world applications. By pooling resources – computing power, talent, and data – Europe plans to amplify its industrial strengths in areas like manufacturing, biotech, and defense. The Commission’s forthcoming AI Act seeks to ensure that next-generation models remain both safe and trustworthy.
Looking ahead, Stelia’s role as the infrastructure layer powering AI – first enterprises could prove increasingly vital. As more European businesses move beyond pilot projects to live, real-time AI deployments, the demand for scalable, purpose-built inference solutions will only grow.
Shaping Europe’s AI Future
With the European AI Research Council set to launch and an ‘Apply AI’ initiative on the horizon, Brussels is signalling that InvestAI is just the beginning of a broader push. If successful, these gigafactories and large – scale projects could transform Europe into a formidable AI continent, driving scientific breakthroughs and economic growth. As President von der Leyen put it, the goal is to create “one single set of safety rules” while giving every company, large or small, a chance to harness AI’s power.
By blending high-stakes investment with a deep commitment to collaboration and execution – focused infrastructure, the EU is making its boldest play yet to shape the global AI landscape – and it’s doing so on its own terms.
