Latest news with #DigitalEuropeProgramme
Euractiv
08-07-2025
- Business
- Euractiv
Von der Leyen moves to merge green, defence, space funds in new EU budget law
The European Commission is pushing to create a massive industrial policy fund by merging up to 14 existing budget lines in its next multiannual financial framework spending plan, draft legislation seen by Euractiv shows. The blueprint for a long-awaited European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) as part of the bloc's coming seven-year spending plan is the Commission's flagship reform to revamp Europe's productivity gap. The aim is to create a dedicated funding pot to help catch up with the US and China across the 2028-2034 budget. The draft regulation contains no numbers, but says the ECF will merge activities under up to 14 different budget lines listed in the current €1.2 trillion seven-year budget. Those include the Innovation Fund, Digital Europe Programme, and the €2 billion component of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) dealing with digital projects. It also covers the European Defence Fund, the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through Common Procurement Act (EDIRPA), the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), EU4Health and the European Space Programme, satellite programme IRIS², and InvestEU. The huge new cash pot will aim to plug some of Europe's investment gap by using public funds to free up larger amounts of private capital, according to the document. However, the biggest EU programmes remain outside the consolidation effort or are absorbed only in part. For example, Horizon Europe (€93 billion), a big part of the Innovation Fund (€40 billion) and the bulk of the Connecting Europe Facility (€20 billion) dealing with transport and energy projects, will remain mostly outside the ECF. (jp)
Euronews
30-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Most interest in AI gigafactory builds is European, Commission says
The 'vast majority' of responses to a European Commission call for interest to invest in artificial intelligence gigafactories is European, despite global investors also being permitted to participate in the public-private partnerships, EU Commissioner for Technology told journalists at a press conference on Monday. Henna Virkkunnen updated plans announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier this year to mobilise €200bn for investment in artificial intelligence through an InvestAI fund. Of this, €20bn will be earmarked for four to five AI gigafactories, needed to allow for 'collaborative development' with the most complex AI models, according to the Commission. The aim is to enable even small companies to access large-scale computing power for future development. The proposals received so far 'are immense in scale', Virkkunen said, adding that together the companies are ready to invest more than €230 billion. 'It does not mean that all of them will materialise, but it is positive news,' she added. The Commission will now enter into discussions with the respondents to the Commission's call, as well as the member states. An official call will come later this year, as part of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking - a joint initiative between the EU, member states and private partners. Competition The Commission announced plans to build seven AI factories last year, but the larger gigafactories will have around 100,000 last-generation AI chips, around four times more than the AI factories currently being set up. The gigafactories funded through InvestAI aim to be the largest public-private partnership in the world for the development of trustworthy AI, according to the EU executive. The Commission's initial funding for InvestAI will come from existing EU funding programmes which have a digital component, such as the Digital Europe Programme, Horizon Europe, and InvestEU. EU member states can also contribute by committing investment from existing earmarked cohesion funds. That call came after other regions in the world, including the US, outperform Europe when it comes to AI funding and investment. Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump also announced a joint venture, with Stargate, OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank, to invest billions of dollars in AI infrastructure in the country. The joint venture team will set up a separate company, deploying $100bn (€96bn) immediately and increasing the investment up to $500bn (€480bn) over the coming four years.
Al Etihad
29-03-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
European Commission to invest €1.3 billion in AI, cybersecurity, digital skills
29 Mar 2025 14:47 BRUSSELS (WAM)The European Commission will invest €1.3 billion in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and digital skills through the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) for 2025 to 2027, it said in a statement on priorities include expanding access to generative AI applications, particularly in the health and care sectors, funding immersive environment testing (virtual worlds), implementing the AI Act, and deploying energy-efficient common data initiative also aims to strengthen the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), a network that provides businesses and public institutions with technical expertise, technology testing, training, and advisory services to accelerate AI adoption across plan will also enhance cyber resilience through solutions like the EU Cybersecurity Reserve, which will improve the security of critical infrastructure, including hospitals and submarine cables. Another major focus is the Destination Earth initiative, which is working on a digital model of Earth to support climate adaptation and disaster risk addition, the programme will develop EU education and training institutions' digital skills capacity to nurture and attract talent while boosting advanced skills in the European workforce. It will also facilitate the rollout of the EU Digital Identity Wallet architecture and the European Trust Infrastructure, promoting adoption across Member States. Additionally, the programme will stimulate the transformation of the public sector by developing efficient, high-quality, interoperable digital public services.
Ammon
29-03-2025
- Business
- Ammon
EU to invest $1.4 billion in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital skills
Ammon News - The European Commission will invest 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital skills through the Digital Europe Programme for 2025 to 2027, it said in a statement on Friday. "Securing European tech sovereignty starts with investing in advanced technologies and in making it possible for people to improve their digital competences," European Commission digital chief Henna Virkkunen said. Reuters
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU to invest $1.4 billion in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital skills
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission will invest 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital skills through the Digital Europe Programme for 2025 to 2027, it said in a statement on Friday. "Securing European tech sovereignty starts with investing in advanced technologies and in making it possible for people to improve their digital competences," European Commission digital chief Henna Virkkunen said. ($1 = 0.9281 euros) Sign in to access your portfolio
