AI Gigafactories: understanding the European call for tenders

Europe wants to move up a gear in artificial intelligence. With the AI Gigafactories call for tenders, EuroHPC aims to select consortia capable of building and operating very large-scale computing infrastructures dedicated to AI.

The objective is therefore not to fund a conventional AI project. It is to bring forward large-scale industrial infrastructures capable of training, adapting and running the most advanced AI models, while strengthening European technological sovereignty by providing European stakeholders with secure access to massive computing power and high-quality data. A key contribution to a genuine European AI ecosystem.

France has confirmed its intention to host one of these AI Gigafactories on its territory. It plans in particular to purchase EUR 100 million of computing capacity from the project that would be selected in France.

What is an AI Gigafactory?

An AI Gigafactory is a very large-scale computing infrastructure designed to support the entire lifecycle of complex AI models: development, training, adaptation and large-scale inference. Unlike a conventional data centre, it combines:

• Thousands of processors and AI-dedicated accelerators such as GPUs
• Large-capacity data centres
• Very high-throughput storage and network infrastructures
• Secure cloud environments
• Software for training and managing LLM models
• Suitable, high-capacity energy resources 

Projects will also need to integrate strong requirements in terms of energy efficiency, water consumption, circularity and cybersecurity. These infrastructures must provide European innovative companies, SMEs, industry, researchers and the public sector with secure access to massive computing power.

The objective of the AI Gigafactories call for tenders 

EuroHPC aims to select the consortia that will build and operate the future European AI Gigafactories. EuroHPC and 18 participating states, including France, will purchase part of their computing capacity. The call pursues several objectives:

• Increase Europe’s AI-dedicated computing capacity to a global level
• Support the development of innovative artificial intelligence solutions
• Strengthen industrial value chains for software and hardware in Europe
• Improve the resilience and technological autonomy of the European Union
• Mobilise significant private investment through European and national funding
• Make these capacities accessible to European researchers, companies, SMEs, start-ups and public actors, while limiting environmental impacts

For France, the challenge is also to strengthen sovereign computing capabilities and secure future access to these infrastructures for research, public administrations and the healthcare sector. 

Applications must be submitted by 12 November 2026 at the latest.

Who is the call for tenders aimed at? 

This call is not intended for a single company seeking to fund the development of an AI product or model. Applications are open to consortia or to dedicated structures created specifically to carry the project. The stakeholders concerned may include: 

• Data centre operators
• Computing infrastructure and cloud providers
• Hardware and software players
• Storage and connectivity providers
• Energy players
• Cybersecurity specialists
• Investors and funders
• Public bodies
• SMEs 

The challenge is therefore to bring together, within a single project, all the expertise required to finance, build and then operate the infrastructure.

What type of project is expected? 

The call focuses on complete industrial infrastructures, not on an isolated technology. Two project scales are planned:

These amounts do not correspond to a conventional grant. Public support is based in particular on the purchase of computing capacity from the selected Gigafactories.

The targeted projects therefore represent major infrastructures and very significant investments. The expected consortia must be able to present a project that is already highly advanced. The first phase of the Gigafactory must be operational within a maximum of 18 months after contract signature.

This is therefore an investment and industrial deployment project.

What are the main eligibility conditions? 

The eligibility conditions are highly demanding. The consortium will notably need to demonstrate: 

• Strong financial capacity, with average consolidated annual turnover above EUR 200 million over the last three financial years
• Proven industrial experience in building and operating data centres or AI infrastructures
• A credible long-term funding strategy
• A location and governance structure compatible with European requirements 

In addition, European added value is one of the important selection criteria. The project must also respond to European objectives around sovereignty, data security and supplier diversification. France has also indicated that it wants to explore partnerships with other European countries in order to mobilise additional investment.

How does the funding mechanism work? 

The mechanism is different from a conventional grant.

EuroHPC and the participating states support the selected Gigafactories by purchasing part of their computing capacity. They become an anchor customer, or off-taker. These public orders provide visibility for the project and reduce risk for private investors.

In France, the State has therefore committed to purchasing EUR 100 million of computing capacity from the project that would be selected on French territory. The objective is therefore twofold: to secure part of future demand by carrying deployment and operating risk, and to encourage private financing in these infrastructures.

The expert view 

One of the difficulties of this call lies in its scale.

The question is not only whether a company can apply. Above all, it is necessary to determine what role it can play within an AI Gigafactory consortium.

To find its place in a consortium, a stakeholder must therefore be able to identify the strategic building block it can bring to the project. The first step is therefore to qualify its role in the value chain, then identify the partners needed to build a credible project.

The other point of vigilance concerns maturity.

Given the deployment timeline, the consortium must have, very early on, a clear vision of the site, the financing, the energy capacities, the technology and the project governance.

PNO Innovation supports you 

An AI Gigafactory application requires the coordination of industrial, financial, technological and European dimensions at a very large scale. We have strong experience in industrial projects and supports innovative companies to: 

• Qualify their role and positioning within the consortium (linking)
• Structure the partnerships and project governance (coordination)
• Consolidate the funding strategy
• Formalise the European added value (EU portal)
• Prepare and secure the application (proposal development)
• Bring domain expertise through consultants specialised in AI and digital technologies 

Would you like to join or structure an AI Gigafactory consortium? Contact our experts to assess your positioning and define the next steps for your project.

Key information to remember for AI Gigafactories