Europe with the ambition to become the world leader in AI

(Photo: AFP)

The European Commission (EC) on April 9 announced its Action Plan for an "Artificial Intelligence (AI) continent," marking a strategic step towards making the European Union (EU) a global leader in AI.

Introduced at the AI ​​Action Summit held in Paris in February 2025, the plan reflects EC President Ursula von der Leyen's ambitious vision to transform Europe's traditional industrial strengths and rich talent pool into breakthrough growth engines for the AI ​​era.

According to the EC, the race for AI leadership is still very exciting, with fierce competition in developing both platform models and specialized applications.

The EU AI ecosystem is driven by a strong research base, cutting-edge technology and a rapidly growing startup network. To maintain and expand this competitive advantage, the action plan is designed around five key strategic pillars.

First is the development of large-scale AI computing and data infrastructure. Accordingly, the EU will establish a network of “AI factories” across Europe, of which the first 13 have been deployed at leading supercomputing centers. These factories will serve as hubs to support startups, businesses and researchers in developing advanced AI models.

Going further, the EU aims to build “AI superfactories.” These are extremely large-scale facilities, equipped with around 100,000 modern AI chips, four times the current capacity, to train complex AI models at an unprecedented scale and ensure strategic autonomy for Europe in key industrial and scientific areas.

The InvestAI initiative will serve as the main source of financing, mobilizing up to €20 billion ($22 billion) for up to five AI megafactories across the EU. A new regulatory framework will also be proposed to strongly promote the development of cloud computing and data centers, with the aim of at least tripling data processing capacity in the next 5-7 years, while prioritizing sustainability.

Next, to foster an effective AI ecosystem, expanding access to big data and high-quality data is a prerequisite. The EC will establish “data labs” to collect, manage and process data from various sources for research and testing of AI solutions. A comprehensive strategy on the “Data Union” is also expected to be announced in 2025, aiming to form a common data market within the bloc.

In addition to infrastructure and data, another pillar is to promote algorithm development and accelerate the application of AI in strategic areas. Currently, the rate of EU businesses implementing AI is still modest, at only 13.5%.

In this context, the “AI Adoption” strategy will soon be announced, aiming to strongly support both the public and private sectors in accessing and applying the technology. AI Factories and the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) network will be key to realizing this goal.

To ensure human resources for the AI ​​ecosystem, the EU also places special emphasis on attracting and developing talent. Through initiatives such as the “talent pool,” the MSCA Choose Europe scholarship program and the upcoming AI Skills Academy, the EC will facilitate the attraction of high-quality experts and researchers from around the world. At the same time, training and upskilling programs, especially in the field of generative AI, will be widely deployed to prepare the next generation of experts, as well as help the current workforce adapt to digital transformation.

Finally, regulatory simplification has also been identified as a key factor in fostering innovation. The EU AI Act, which will come into effect on 1 August 2024, not only establishes a clear legal framework for the development of the technology, but also contributes to strengthening public trust in AI.

To support businesses in their compliance efforts, the EC will launch the “AI Legal” assistance service, a central platform that provides in-depth legal information and advice, helping businesses access the technology in a transparent and secure manner.

In line with these strategic initiatives, the Commission has launched two public consultations, which will run until 4 June, to seek broad input from the public and businesses. The first focuses on the proposed new regulation on cloud computing and AI. The second consultation, on the “Adoption of AI” strategy, seeks views on priorities, barriers and practical solutions to promote the widespread adoption of AI. A third consultation on the “Data Union” will also be launched in May.

In parallel, extensive dialogues with industry and public sector representatives will also be held to shape the detailed content of the “AI Application” strategy. This will be an opportunity to identify untapped potential in each sector, assess the current level of integration of AI in production and operations, and expand opportunities for AI application on an economy-wide scale.

The synchronous implementation from policy, investment to law demonstrates the EU's strong determination in the global race for AI, a field that is increasingly becoming a vital factor for the continent's competitiveness, security and prosperity in the 21st century./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/chau-au-voi-tham-vong-tro-thanh-dau-tau-the-gioi-ve-ai-post1026799.vnp