Spain backs AI gigafactory bid with €719 million

Spain has allocated €719 million (? million) toward building an AI gigafactory as it seeks to reduce reliance on foreign technology and keep AI development aligned with European regulations, the government said on Tuesday. The funding will make the government a shareholder in a company created to submit Spain’s bid for the European Commission’s InvestAI call for proposals, which could bring additional support.

The bid will cover multiple sites, including locations in Catalonia and Madrid. The government said the project is intended to give Spain and Europe advanced computing capacity while helping local companies innovate and improve competitiveness.

Digital Transformation Minister Oscar Lopez said the high-performance computing investment would give Spanish scientists access to infrastructure that is costly and in short supply. The European Commission’s InvestAI initiative could provide further funding for the project.