The Council of the European Union has unveiled plans to modify the existing regulation that governs the European High Performing Computer Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC), which oversees the use of supercomputers for artificial intelligence (AI) development.
On May 24, the EU revised the regulation to include the objective of establishing and operating local AI factories. The EU believes that this initiative will provide additional infrastructure for AI supercomputing services.
The proposal from the commission, which prompted this amendment, builds on the groundwork laid by EuroHPC, an organization established in 2018 to lead European supercomputing projects.
Currently, EuroHPC oversees nine supercomputers located throughout Europe, which have been developed since the inception of the initiative. The proposed AI factories, as outlined in the amendment, will further advance this mission.
Moreover, an expanded EU supercomputing capacity will offer AI startups in the EU better resources to innovate and train their models.
Willy Borsus, the Vice-President of Wallonia and Minister for Economy, Research, and Innovation, emphasized the collaborative effort in reaching this milestone.
The council is urging the EuroHPC Governing Board to establish special access conditions for these AI supercomputers, giving priority to startups and small to medium-sized enterprises.
According to the new regulation, hosting entities can receive up to 50% of the acquisition and operational costs of AI supercomputers from the Union. Ownership of these machines can be transferred to the hosting entities five years after acceptance testing.
The primary focus of the AI supercomputers will be on developing, testing, evaluating, and validating large-scale AI training models and emerging AI applications, thus advancing AI solutions within the European Union.
Before the proposed regulation can take effect, it must undergo legal review and, upon approval, will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, becoming effective 20 days after publication.
The commission’s proposed regulation is part of a broader AI initiative announced by the President of the EU, Ursula von der Leyen, and signifies a strategic move to enhance Europe’s AI capabilities.
The EU has been at the forefront of developing AI policies to be implemented across the region. In March 2024, the EU passed its groundbreaking AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive set of regulations aimed at ensuring safe and ethical AI development in the region.
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