The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has announced its decision regarding which countries will be allowed to develop an AI Factory or an AI Factory Antenna. In total, six new sites have been chosen for an AI Factory, and 13 new antennas have been selected. Belgium submitted a proposal for both options but will be allowed to develop an AI Factory Antenna.,
What: Administrative decision
Impact score: 2 (Relevant for certain sectors)
For whom: SMEs and startups, researchers and knowledge institutions, government and industry
Practical: Belgium will be able to get a maximum of €5 million EU contribution for the Antenna, and large-scale model training will involve data transfers to/from foreign facilities.
Competitiveness: The decision that Belgium will not be allowed to develop an AI Factory could have consequences for strategic dependence on other countries, and the fact that neighbouring countries areallowed to develop AI Factories could potentially lead to a drain of AI talent and investments.neighbouringtakeaways
The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking announced two critical decisions that will reshape Europe's AI infrastructure landscape. Six additional AI Factories were selected on October 10th, which brings the total to 19 Factories across 16 Member States. Three days later, 13 AI Factory Antennas were designated across 7 EU Member States and 6 partner countries. These decisions represent a €2.6+ billion investment strategy that reveals both Europe's AI ambitions and emerging competitive dynamics within the bloc.
Key decisions
AI Factories (October 10): he third selection round added Factories in Czechia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Spain. Combined with previous rounds (December 2024: 7 sites; March 2025: 6 sites), Europe now has 19 AI Factories featuring AI-optimised supercomputers with massive training capabilities.
AI Antennas (October 13): Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, and Slovakia received Antenna designations within the EU. Partner countries including the UK, Switzerland, Iceland, Moldova, Serbia, and North Macedonia also secured Antennas. The total EU investment is approximately €55 million, matched by national contributions.
Western and Central European states dominate the Factory allocations. Germany, Poland and Spain each host multiple facilities, while peripheral regions received Antennas. This can potentially have implications for AI talent migration and innovation clustering. The Factory-Antenna distinction institutionalizes different levels of AI sovereignty. Factory states control physical infrastructure and can leverage it for economic development, while Antenna states depend on remote access to others' computing resources.
Belgium initially submitted an ambitious bid for a full AI Factory with a proposed investment of €80 million, split between two sites in Zellik (Flemish Brabant) and Charleroi (Wallonia), supported by both regional and federal governments. It will now establish the BE-AI Factory Antenna, which will be coordinated by imec and supported by regional and federal governments. The Antenna will provide Belgian companies, researchers, and public institutions with expert services for developing and deploying large-scale AI models, access to AI-optimised supercomputing infrastructure, access to high-quality interoperable datasets, and training on using the infrastructure and datasets. It will focus on key sectors including defence and security, health, biotech and life sciences, manufacturing, robotics and process control, space and aeronautics, as well as public services digital transformation.
The Belgian Antenna will be linked with two of Europe's most powerful AI Factories: the LUMI AI Factory in Finland and the JUPITER AI Factory in Germany. The LUMI AI Factory integrates computing power with the LUMI supercomputer (one of Europe's most powerful AI platforms) and focuses on manufacturing, health and life sciences, and communication technologies. The JUPITER AI Factory leverages Europe's first exascale supercomputer JUPITER and includes an experimental platform for developing and testing innovative AI models while focusing on healthcare, energy, climate, education, and public sector applications. Through these strategic connections, Belgium gains remote access to cutting-edge supercomputing resources without the massive infrastructure investment required for a standalone Factory, though it sacrifices the computational sovereignty and local economic clustering benefits that Factory states will enjoy.
The October 2025 EuroHPC JU decisions advance Europe's AI infrastructure goals but might introduce structural asymmetries that warrant careful monitoring. While the Antenna model democratizes access, it creates dependencies that may limit innovation potential for states without local supercomputing resources. Success might depend on effective network governance, equitable resource allocation, and ensuring that geographic concentration doesn't translate into permanent competitive advantages for Factory states.
