European Union leaders put investment, infrastructure and energy access at the center of a push to expand the bloc’s artificial intelligence capacity, as they weighed reliance on suppliers outside Europe.
The Nov. 13 meeting in Dublin was the leaders’ first strategic discussion focused on AI, the European Council said. EconoTimes previously covered the leaders’ debate over funding for Europe’s AI capacity at the Dublin meeting. For global technology competition, the discussion highlighted how AI capacity depends on connected inputs, from computing power and chips to cloud services, advanced models and energy.
European Council President António Costa said Europe “can become a leading and sovereign player in key areas of the AI value chain.” The Council’s meeting summary said leaders discussed investment, infrastructure and access to clean, affordable energy as they considered ways to secure European value chains.
A European Council steering note said providers outside Europe supply key AI inputs, including computing power, advanced models, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure and software. It also said European investors had yet to match some large, high-risk investments, which non-EU capital often takes on.
Costa said Europe needs significant additional funding. Separately, the steering note said the European Union’s next long-term budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework, could play a decisive role, including through the new European Competitiveness Fund.
Leaders also discussed broader AI adoption by European companies and public administrations, along with safety, security and public trust. The meeting summary said they considered the technology’s effects on jobs and society.
Costa said the European Council will return to AI at a meeting in Alden Biesen on Feb. 5, 2027. The effects of AI on society are also set to be a central theme of the 2027 Social Summit.
