Council adopts amendment to build AI gigafactories and boost quantum tech

The Council of the European Union has adopted an amendment to the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking regulation to broaden its mandate to support the development and operation of AI gigafactories in Europe and to add a dedicated quantum technologies pillar. The amendment formalises rules for public‑private partnerships that include Member States and industry stakeholders, aiming to establish world‑class AI compute infrastructure while preserving market fairness and competitive neutrality.

The updated regulation sets funding and procurement frameworks for gigafactory projects and introduces safeguards intended to protect the interests of start‑ups and scale‑ups, including measures to prevent market foreclosure and ensure access to compute capacity and data resources. Flexibility mechanisms permit partners to optimise technical and commercial outcomes while complying with EU procurement and state‑aid disciplines.

By explicitly including a quantum technologies pillar, the amendment aligns EuroHPC’s remit with strategic EU priorities in next‑generation computation and cryptography, enhancing synergies between high‑performance classical computing, quantum research, and large‑scale AI deployment. The legal text anticipates coordinated investments to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty, resilience, and industrial competitiveness in AI and quantum domains.

The regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 19 January 2026 and enters into force on 20 January 2026. Legal and policy stakeholders should review the adopted text to assess implications for project governance, procurement procedures, state‑aid compatibility, intellectual property arrangements, and access conditions for SMEs and research organisations.