EU looks to Ireland as a model for wider AI adoption

The European Union is drawing on Ireland’s experience as it seeks to accelerate AI adoption and avoid falling further behind the United States and China. An international summit in Dublin will bring together technology executives and senior EU officials as the bloc promotes investment alongside governance intended to limit the technology’s risks.

Some 20 percent of companies in the bloc used AI last year, rising to 55 percent among the biggest businesses, although most applications remain relatively simple. The EU is investing billions in AI gigafactories combining advanced processors with energy-efficient data centres. Its “Apply AI” strategy also aims to encourage manufacturers to adopt the technology. CEPS research director Andrea Renda warns that infrastructure alone is insufficient and says the strategy lacks a dedicated budget.

Ireland’s high adoption rate and established base of US technology companies make it a potential driver of Europe’s ambitions. However, that reliance on US businesses complicates the EU’s sovereignty goals, while expanding data centres are straining the Irish power grid. The facilities consumed 23 percent of Ireland’s electricity last year, matching all Irish households combined.

At a counter-summit, Maynooth University researcher Patrick Bresnihan called for a moratorium on data-centre development to allow policymakers to reconsider industrial priorities. Protesters also highlighted worker displacement, including a former translator who lost both translation and subsequent data-operator work to AI.