The geopolitical stakes of the global AI race is accelerating. Even if details and actual investments are disputed, it is clear that the superpowers are aggressively expanding their AI ecosystems, as exemplified with, China’s state-driven AI strategy, $140 billion AI investment, and DeepSeek breakthroughs, and America's deregulations, export restrictions and $500 billion STARGATE initiative.
Europe has fallen far behind. Now, it needs to catch up. While asking for money always sounds like a broken record, more money is anyway needed. But it is not enough; we can get much longer by using the money smarter. The European Commission and European governments thinly spread their public investments across thousands of small research groups instead of concentrating funding. Europe needs to concentrate talent, money, infrastructure and funding. It is time for a CERN for AI.
We complain about a lack of private capital in Europe. That is a misunderstanding. There is a lot of money in Europe, but it flows to companies in the USA because the opportunities are bigger there. They are bigger because of Europe's red tape, fragmented startup ecosystems, anemic private investments, and the Commission's weak ability to lead a European response. But addressing those challenges is not enough. The main problem is that regulations and national borders make it hard for companies to grow to a competitive scale. (You may grow to a national border, and anything after that is a nightmare – so you take the company to the US instead.) The most important effort Europe can do is to adjust the Common Market to the modern economy, as was strongly argued in last year reports by Mario Draghi, Enrico Letta and Ursula von der Leyen.
Without swift action, Europe risks deepening its reliance on foreign AI, which threatens its economic competitiveness and strategic sovereignty. A united European effort in AI infrastructure, research, and deployment is now essential. This is about more than just innovation—it’s about Europe’s independence, ability to fund its social services, and influence on international developments.
I am glad I could contribute to the statement that you can read below. Now you can think about how you can contribute. Europe's future is a question of Europe's technological sovereignty. That is solely a question of political will and ability. We should all try to influence.
NORA – The Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Research Consortium, Adra - AI-Data-Robotics-Association, CAIRNE, Nikolai Astrup, digi.no, Digitaliserings- og forvaltningsdepartementet, Altinget.dk, Altinget.no, Peter Møllgaard, Søren Hvidkjær, Christen Krogh, Tanja Storsul, Trine Johansen Meza, Solfrid Lind, Helle Zinner Henriksen, Dr. Glenn Agung Hole,
![View organization page for Adra - AI-Data-Robotics-Association]()
🚨 Joint Statement on the Future of AI in Europe 🚨
We, Adra - AI-Data-Robotics-Association, EAIF - European AI Forum, and EIT Digital, have come together to issue a joint statement in response to the recent announcements of #Stargate and #DeepSeek.
These developments mark a pivotal moment in the AI landscape, with significant implications for Europe’s AI ecosystem, innovation, and global competitiveness. As key stakeholders, we believe this is a crucial time to align our vision and priorities for the responsible and strategic advancement of AI in Europe.
🌍 Europe cannot afford to stand still. 🌍
Rather than reacting with fear, this is a defining moment for the EU to step up and take bold action. Relying on non-European AI providers is no longer an option. We must invest in AI infrastructure, streamline regulations, and foster innovation—ensuring a sovereign, competitive, and energy-efficient European AI ecosystem.
⚡ Now is the time for the EU:
✅ Policy-makers must leverage momentum from industry to consider a bold and ambitious strategy to double-down on the AI opportunity.
✅ Collaborate more closely to craft a public-private venture together with key colleagues in the EC that will unlock value and return on investment for industry; enhance our AI infrastructure and research; and accelerate innovation and the deployment of state-of-the-art AI, Data and Robotics technologies made in Europe.
💡 The momentum is here. The ambition must follow. Europe must act.
Join the conversation. What bold steps should the EU take next? ⬇️
#EuropeanAI #AILeadership #Innovation #TechSovereignty #DigitalEurope #AIInfrastructure #FutureOfAI #Stargate #DeepSeek #Adra
Read our full statement below❗
Let’s shape the future of AI together. Join the conversation. ⬇️
Daniel Abbou Emanuela Girardi Federico Menna Rim Tehraoui Piotr Mieczkowski Linas Petkevičius, PhD Richard Benjamins Damir First Fredrik Heintz Morten Irgens Francesco Ferro
