The EU AI Continent Action Plan
On April 9, the European Commission unveiled its “AI Continent Action Plan”. This strategic initiative is aimed at boosting AI development and adoption across Europe, positioning the continent as a serious contender in the global AI landscape. The plan aligns with the vision articulated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the February Paris AI Action Summit, where she emphasized that world AI leadership is “up for grabs”.
The action plan seeks to mobilize up to 200 billion euros of investments in AI through the newly announced InvestAI facility, showcasing the European Union’s commitment to invigorating its AI sector.
Structure of the AI Continent Action Plan
The AI Continent Action Plan is organized around five key pillars:
- Computing Infrastructure
- Data
- Skills
- Regulatory Simplification
- Adoption in Key Strategic Sectors
While the plan has generated significant interest, it raises questions about whether it introduces genuinely new measures or merely repackages existing initiatives.
Historical Context
To gauge the significance of the AI Continent Action Plan, it is essential to place it within the context of previous EU initiatives around AI. This is not the first comprehensive document addressing a European strategy for AI. The initial AI strategy was established in April 2018, which tackled essential aspects such as data, skills, adoption, and investment, alongside the potential need for regulation.
The Coordinated Plan on AI, updated in 2021, outlined the ambition to establish the European Union as a global AI leader. However, achieving this goal has proven challenging. The white paper on AI published in February 2020 proposed an ecosystem of excellence, supporting startups, research, and talent, along with an ecosystem of trust, which includes the anticipated EU AI Act.
Subsequently, the AI Innovation Package, launched in January 2024, aimed to support AI startups and SMEs by facilitating access to funding and resources, marking a significant step in the EU’s policy actions on AI.
Investment Commitments
The European Union has significantly increased its investments in AI. Prior to the Paris AI Action Summit, the European Commission invested approximately €1 billion per year into AI, with the goal of mobilizing national and private investments totaling up to €20 billion annually for the period between 2020 and 2030. The InvestAI facility represents a marked shift in this approach, involving the European Investment Bank in AI investments.
Of the €200 billion to be mobilized by InvestAI, €20 billion is earmarked for AI gigafactories, positioning this initiative as the largest public-private partnership in the world dedicated to trustworthy AI.
New Developments in AI Infrastructure
The heart of the AI Continent Action Plan is the establishment of AI factories and gigafactories. AI factories are intended to serve as open ecosystems that provide access to computing resources, data, and talent, particularly for startups and SMEs. The plan also aims to enhance the EU’s cloud and data center capacity, with a focus on reducing reliance on non-EU infrastructure.
Moreover, the initiative proposes a Cloud and AI Development Act that aims to at least triple the EU’s data center capacity within the next five to seven years.
Focus on Semiconductor Production
The action plan emphasizes reducing dependencies on external sources for semiconductor production, an issue that has gained prominence amid recent geopolitical tensions. The EU Chips Act, proposed in February 2022, aims to boost Europe’s technological sovereignty and increase its market share in chips from 10 percent to 20 percent by 2030.
Skills and Talent Development
The plan aims to attract EU talent residing abroad while also encouraging top international talent to migrate to Europe. This strategy reflects a response to the growing concerns among researchers about funding and interference in their work in other countries.
Regulatory Simplification
Despite expectations for significant simplifications of the EU AI Act, the final version of the AI Continent Action Plan tones down many of the earlier proposals. While it calls for a dedicated service desk within the EU AI Office to assist companies with compliance, the anticipated regulatory simplifications appear less ambitious than initially suggested.
Conclusion: A Repackaging of Existing Initiatives?
The AI Continent Action Plan formalizes several ideas that have been previously discussed, such as the establishment of AI factories and initiatives to enhance EU competitiveness. However, the extent of genuine new measures remains to be seen, and ongoing monitoring will be necessary to assess the EU’s commitment to advancing AI development in the coming years.
