- A Dutch consortium has entered the EU’s InvestAI competition to host an AI supercomputing “gigafactory” powered by North Sea wind and local digital infrastructure.
- The bid aligns with Europe’s push for strategic AI capacity and energy sovereignty, though it faces technical, political and supply chain challenges.
What happened: Netherlands launches bid to host European AI supercomputing centre
A Dutch consortium has submitted a proposal to the European Commission to host one of the EU’s new AI “gigafactories” under the InvestAI programme. The bid—led by the De Groot Family Office (DGFO) and energy firm ENECO—leverages the Netherlands’ existing strengths: direct access to North Sea wind power, proximity to a flexible backup power source, and integration with AMS‑IX, Dutch universities, and major tech firms. The consortium points to the nation’s digital infrastructure and renewable energy as key advantages in minimising strain on the grid and supporting high-density compute demands.
Also read: Deutsche Telekom and Nvidia to build AI cloud in Germany
Also read: Internal Comms takes centre stage at TNC25 SIG-Marcomms
Why it’s important
This proposal underscores Europe’s determination to build sovereign AI infrastructure and lessen dependence on non-European cloud providers. By hosting a gigafactory with up to 100,000 advanced AI chips, the Netherlands could become a major AI hub, providing capacity for data-intensive research and commercial applications. The plan also highlights the essential role of green energy in supporting large-scale computing. Still, questions linger over whether the country can secure political backing, chip supply, and regulatory Greenlight.
