Seven Gigafactories Against a 500 Billion Gap

At the informal European Council in Dublin on 13 November — the first time EU leaders held an in-depth discussion on artificial intelligence — Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said seven AI gigafactories are in planning with about €30 billion to be mobilised, adding to the 19 AI factories already open to researchers and start-ups, and put the cost of real technological sovereignty at no less than €500 billion across chips, compute and frontier models. She cited 37% of EU businesses using AI in 2025, with Finland at 66%, and said the first tranche of a five-sector adoption plan would follow within two weeks; Council President António Costa said leaders would return to AI in February 2027 and make its social impact the theme of the 2027 Social Summit. The financing — Savings and Investment Union, a Competitiveness Fund, the next multiannual budget — is the part still missing, since €30 billion covers roughly 6% of the stated requirement.