{"id":731052,"date":"2026-06-02T23:31:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/eu-ai-gigafactory-plan-stumbles-as-delays-alienate-partners\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T23:31:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:31:03","slug":"eu-ai-gigafactory-plan-stumbles-as-delays-alienate-partners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/eu-ai-gigafactory-plan-stumbles-as-delays-alienate-partners\/","title":{"rendered":"EU AI gigafactory plan stumbles as delays alienate partners"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aef923085b6c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aef923085b6c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/eu-ai-gigafactory-plan-stumbles-as-delays-alienate-partners\/#TLDR\" >TL;DR<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/eu-ai-gigafactory-plan-stumbles-as-delays-alienate-partners\/#The_funding_gap\" >The funding gap<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/eu-ai-gigafactory-plan-stumbles-as-delays-alienate-partners\/#The_consortium_problem\" >The consortium problem<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/eu-ai-gigafactory-plan-stumbles-as-delays-alienate-partners\/#Another_EU_tech_policy_stumble\" >Another EU tech policy stumble<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.thenextweb.com\/2026\/05\/European-flag.avif\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n<p><em><\/p>\n<div class=\"postContent-tldr\">\n<h4 class=\"postContent-offsetTitle\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"TLDR\"><\/span>TL;DR<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>The EU\u2019s plan for five AI gigafactory data centres is stumbling due to delays and funding gaps, with bidding pushed to July and only two of five centres fundable before 2028. Interest has narrowed from 70 companies to about 10, with SoftBank\u2019s France deal alone dwarfing the entire programme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The European Union\u2019s plan to build five massive AI data centres, each with one gigawatt of capacity and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roximately 100,000 advanced chips, is stumbling before it starts. The bidding process, originally scheduled for May, has been pushed to July. A lack of funding clarity means only two of the five planned centres can receive money before the EU\u2019s next budget cycle begins in 2028. At least two consortia are reconsidering whether to bid at all if the project is significantly downsized,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-06-02\/eu-s-ai-data-center-plans-stumble-due-to-delays-funding-issues\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">according to people familiar with the matter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative, announced last year to accelerate European AI infrastructure investment, initially drew interest from about 70 companies across the bloc. That number has narrowed to approximately 10 groups expected to submit bids, with a maximum of one per country. The European Commission has delayed publishing its criteria for the data centres multiple times. \u201cI think I\u2019ve lost count\u201d of all the delays, said Maria Nowicka, a Brussels-based policy researcher at the think tank Interface.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_funding_gap\"><\/span>The funding gap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The \u20ac20 billion ($23.3 billion) plan envisions less than half coming from governments. The EU would provide \u20ac4.1 billion in subsidies, matched by an equal amount from member states hosting the centres, with private investors financing the rest. But the phased funding structure, with money earmarked in 2028 and 2030, means the subsidies arrive years after the infrastructure is needed.\u00a0US utilities alone plan to spend $1.4 trillion\u00a0on grid infrastructure for AI by 2030, and American hyperscalers are investing hundreds of billions annually in data centres, including on European soil.<\/p>\n<p>The scale mismatch is stark. SoftBank recently announced up to \u20ac75 billion in data centre investment in France alone, more than three times the entire EU programme.\u00a0Meta is raising $13 billion for a single Texas data centre.\u00a0The EU\u2019s \u20ac4.1 billion in direct subsidies, spread across five countries, is modest relative to what individual companies are spending per facility.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper channel-cta\">\n<div class=\"ica-text\">\n<p class=\"ica-text__title\">TNW City Coworking space &#8211; Where your best work happens<\/p>\n<p>A workspace designed for growth, collaboration, and endless networking opportunities in the heart of tech.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_consortium_problem\"><\/span>The consortium problem<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Early proposals were structured as national consortia pooling resources from multiple companies. In Germany, the Schwarz Group (owner of Lidl) and Deutsche Telekom both expressed interest in leading bids. In Spain, Telef\u00f3nica is leading a consortium. In France, Mistral AI is in discussions to join a \u20ac10 billion project.<\/p>\n<p>But the moving goalposts are eroding enthusiasm. The Schwarz Group\u2019s interest has dampened due to the complex and lengthy tender process, according to a person familiar with its business. The company is building its own data centre south of Berlin without waiting for EU subsidies. Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges said the company will only participate if industry and government customers guarantee demand. Telef\u00f3nica\u2019s COO said the company is considering holding only 10% to 15% of a joint venture bid.<\/p>\n<p>Mistral AI\u2019s CEO Arthur Mensch\u00a0criticised the programme\u2019s national framing: \u201cOne of the problems is that it\u2019s kind of thought at a national level, which is completely stupid. Any successful endeavour on that domain needs to be European-wide and much larger than what is actually framed in the programme.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Another_EU_tech_policy_stumble\"><\/span>Another EU tech policy stumble<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The gigafactory delays echo the EU\u2019s experience with its 2022 Chips Act, which failed to boost the bloc\u2019s share of global semiconductor production despite a target of doubling it by 2030.\u00a0French companies bid \u20ac10 billion\u00a0for one of the five planned gigafactory sites, demonstrating private sector willingness that the EU\u2019s bureaucratic process has struggled to harness.<\/p>\n<p>The strategic motivation remains urgent. With transatlantic relations strained under Trump\u2019s current term, the EU is promoting tech sovereignty as a matter of security, privacy, and competitiveness.\u00a0Europe has led on AI regulation\u00a0through the AI Act, but regulation without infrastructure means setting rules for a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> played on someone else\u2019s hardware.<\/p>\n<p>Polish digital minister Dariusz Standerski, participating in the EU talks, confirmed the July bidding timeline and the two-phase funding structure. A Commission spokesperson said a call for proposals is expected to be approved \u201cshortly after thorough preparations.\u201d For the companies that have already moved on, building their own facilities without waiting for subsidies that may not arrive in time, the EU\u2019s assurances may come too late to matter.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/eu-ai-data-centre-gigafactory-delays-funding-stumble\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TL;DR The EU\u2019s plan for five AI gigafactory data centres is stumbling due to delays and funding gaps, with bidding pushed to July and only two of five centres fundable before 2028. Interest has narrowed from 70 companies to about 10, with SoftBank\u2019s France deal alone dwarfing the entire programme. The European Union\u2019s plan to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-731052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=731052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731052\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=731052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=731052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=731052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}