The tender follows a 2025 expression-of-interest phase that generated 76–77 proposals from 16 member states across 60 sites—demand strong enough to prompt the EU to expand the program from its original scope. Applications close November 12, with winners expected in early 2027. The facilities will operate alongside the EU's existing network of 19 AI Factories.
For practitioners, this matters as a marker of EU regulatory direction and infrastructure investment priorities. The gigafactories are explicitly designed to reduce European dependence on U.S. and Chinese AI infrastructure while embedding EU compliance requirements around data protection, safety, and security into the foundational layer. Firms with AI infrastructure, data, or compute capabilities—or those advising on public-private partnerships—should monitor the winners and contract terms when announced, as they will likely shape the regulatory and commercial landscape for AI deployment in Europe over the next decade.