The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it is mobilizing around €1 billion ($1.16 billion) to boost AI adoption in key industries and the public sector.
The European Commission set out two strategies to ensure Europe stays ahead, driving adoption in key industries and putting Europe at the forefront of AI-driven science. The Apply AI Strategy sets out how to speed up the use of AI in Europe’s key industries and the public sector.
Meanwhile, the AI in Science Strategy focuses on putting Europe at the forefront of AI-driven research and scientific excellence.
“I want the future of AI to be made in Europe. Because when AI is used, we can find smarter, faster and more affordable solutions. AI adoption needs to be widespread, and with these strategies, we will help speed up the process. Putting AI first also means putting safety first. We will drive this ‘AI first’ mindset across all our key sectors, from robotics to healthcare, energy and automotive,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
EU delivers on AI Continent Action Plan
AI is transforming how businesses operate, reshaping public services and revolutionising science. With these strategies, the EU is delivering on its AI Continent Action Plan, setting a course to make Europe a global leader in trustworthy AI. Just six years ago, Europe had two supercomputers in the global top 10; today it has four, and work is ongoing to set up at least 4 to 5 gigafactories.
Building on its strong AI infrastructure, as well as Europe’s talent, vibrant research and innovation ecosystem and startups, its tradition of collaborative science, high-quality data and world-class research and technology infrastructures, the EU is well positioned to accelerate the use of AI in key sectors and science.
Apply AI Strategy to drive AI adoption across strategic and public sectors
The Apply AI Strategy aims to harness AI’s transformative potential by driving adoption of AI across strategic and public sectors, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy, mobility, manufacturing, construction, agri-food, defence, communications and culture. It will also support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with their specific needs and help Industries integrate AI into their operations.
Concrete measures include establishing AI-powered advanced screening centers for healthcare and supporting the development of frontier models and agentic AI tailored to sectors such as manufacturing, environment and pharmaceuticals.
The strategy will help boost EU capabilities to unlock societal benefits, from enabling more accurate healthcare diagnoses to enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of public services. It encourages an AI first policy, so more companies consider AI as a part of the solution to tackle challenges, while taking into careful consideration the benefits and the risks of the technology.
The strategy also addresses cross-cutting challenges: accelerating time-to-market by linking infrastructure, data, and testing facilities; strengthening the EU workforce to be AI-ready across sectors; and launching a Frontier AI initiative to support innovation by bringing together Europe’s leading AI actors. The renewal and deployment of the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs, transformed into Experience Centres for AI, will give companies privileged access to the EU AI innovation ecosystem.
To coordinate action, the Commission is launching the Apply AI Alliance, a forum bringing together industry, the public sector, academia, social partners and civil society. An AI Observatory will monitor AI trends and assess sectoral impacts. In parallel, the commission has launched the AI Act Service Desk to help ensure smooth implementation of the AI Act.
Read: NVIDIA to build world’s first industrial AI cloud in Germany
AI in Science Strategy to position EU as hub for AI-driven scientific innovation
Alongside Apply AI, the AI in Science Strategy positions the EU as a hub for AI-driven scientific innovation. At its center is RAISE – the Resource for AI Science in Europe, a virtual European institute to pool and coordinate AI resources for developing AI and applying it in science.
Strategic actions under the strategy include:
- Excellence and talent: measures to attract global scientific talent and highly-skilled professionals to ‘Choose Europe’. This includes €58 million under the RAISE pilot for Networks of Excellence and Doctoral Networks to train, retain and attract the best AI and scientific talent.
- Compute: €600 million from Horizon Europe to enhance and expand access to computational power for science. This investment will secure dedicated access to AI Gigafactories for EU researchers and startups.
- Research funding: aims for doubling Horizon Europe’s annual investments in AI to over€3 billion, including doubling funding for AI in science.
- Data: support for scientists to identify strategic data gaps and gather, curate and integrate the datasets needed for AI in science.
The commission’s Joint Research Center is contributing to both strategies, producing technical assessments, sectoral studies, and a new report on AI’s impact on science and research practices.
To harness the full potential of AI, Europe must ensure seamless access to high-quality, structured data. The commission will present a Data Union Strategy at the end of October to better align data policies with the needs of businesses, the public sector and society.
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