Forslag til RÅDETS FORORDNING om ændring af Rådets forordning (EU) 2021/1173 af 13. juli 2021 om oprettelse af et fællesforetagende for europæisk højtydende databehandling og om ophævelse af forordning (EU) 2018/1488

EN EN
EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
Brussels, 15.7.2025
COM(2025) 414 final
2025/0229 (NLE)
Proposal for a
COUNCIL REGULATION
on amending Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 of 13 July 2021 on establishing the
European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking and repealing Regulation
(EU) 2018/1488
Offentligt
KOM (2025) 0414 - Forslag til forordning
Europaudvalget 2025
EN 1 EN
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
1. CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL
• Reasons for and objectives of the proposal
Council Regulation (EU) 2021/11731
repealing Council Regulation (EU) 2018/14882
establishes the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking and sets out its
mission and objectives. The Joint Undertaking’s mission is to develop, deploy, extend and
maintain in the Union a world-leading federated, secure and hyper-connected
supercomputing, quantum computing, service and data infrastructure ecosystem; to support
the development and uptake of demand-oriented and user-driven innovative and competitive
supercomputing systems based on a supply chain that will ensure the availability components,
technologies and knowledge and limit the risk of disruption, and the development of a wide
range of applications optimised for these systems; and, to widen the use of this
supercomputing and quantum computing infrastructure to a large number of public and
private users, and support the twin transition and the development of key skills for European
science and industry.
Since 2021, when the Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 was adopted, the field of artificial
intelligence (AI) has seen enormous technical progress and became a key strategic and
highly competitive domain globally. In particular, large AI general purpose models have
emerged as vital drivers of economic competitiveness and innovation. They have become
pivotal in enhancing productivity across diverse sectors and transform entire value chains,
thus dictating future economic value capture. The next generation of frontier AI models are
expected to unlock a leap in capabilities, towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
capable of tackling highly complex and diverse tasks, matching human capabilities. Regions
capable of developing and implementing these AI models at scale will lead in global
innovation and attract premier talent. At the same time, sectors at the forefront of science and
industry, such as biotechnology, climate, automotive AI, and aerospace, demand substantial
computing resources to undertake major AI-driven scientific discoveries and industrial
innovations.
Following the adoption of the AI Innovation Package in February 20243
, Regulation (EU)
2021/1173 was amended in June 2024 creating a new pillar of activities for the EuroHPC
Joint Undertaking, enabling it to acquire, upgrade and operate AI factories.
The most advanced of these AI Factories in Europe will be equipped with supercomputers
featuring up to 25,000 advanced AI processors, allowing only to develop middle-range AI
models. Significant investments are therefore needed to scale up Europe’s computing
capacities to the next level.
On 9 April 2025, the Commission launched the AI Continent Action Plan45
to position
1
Council Regulation (EU)2021/1173 of 13 July 2021 on establishing the European High Performance
Computing Joint Undertaking and repealing Regulation (EU) 2018/1488 (OJ L 256 19.7.21 p. 3).
2
Council Regulation (EU) 2018/1488 of 28 September 2018 establishing the European High
Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (OJ L 252, 8.10.2018, p. 1).
3
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-launches-ai-innovation-package-support-
artificial-intelligence-startups-and-smes
4
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European economic
and social Committee and the Committee of the regions, AI Continent Action Plan, COM/2025/165
final
EN 2 EN
Europe as a global leader in AI. A core pillar of this strategy is boosting the Europe-wide
infrastructure for training advanced AI models taking the 2024 AI Factories concept up to the
next level.
The development of the next generation of frontier AI models is expected to require large-
scale facilities, exceeding at least by three to four times the number of the most advanced AI
processors available in the most powerful AI Factories, while taking into account power
capacity, as well as energy, water efficiency and circularity. They will be capable of
developing, training, and deploying very large AI models and applications at an
unprecedented scale (e.g., AI models in the order of hundreds of trillions of parameters).
AI Gigafactories will provide a world-class AI compute infrastructure for European
researchers, entrepreneurs, the public sector and industries. They shall strengthen the
European industry, enable the development of entirely new AI solutions and ensure the EU's
competitiveness and sovereignty as an AI continent in line with the Competitiveness
Compass6
. The public interest in co-investing with industry players in AI Gigafactories lies in
expanding and strengthening the European AI compute infrastructure so that the next
generation of AI models and applications for scientific, public and industrial use can be
developed, implemented and put into application in Europe. Just as the AI Factories, the AI
Gigafactories will be open to researchers, stakeholders from the public sector, startups and
industry across Member States, under specific access conditions.
The existing mechanisms within Regulation 2021/1173 are not fully equipped today to
support the establishment of the AI Gigafactories. A targeted amendment is therefore
necessary to provide the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking with the necessary legal basis to be
able to meet the commitments regarding setting up of AI GigaFactories in Europe. The
amendment will further specifically mandate the Joint Undertaking to perform activities for
the implementation of AI GigaFactories while also accommodating for their specificities.
The amendment also provides an opportunity to introduce strategic provisions related to
quantum technologies, in line with the European Quantum Strategy. Quantum technologies,
comprising quantum computing, communication, sensing, and metrology are emerging as a
strategic field for the Union, with the potential to reshape key industries and societal
applications, and to have a large impact on the Union’s industrial competitiveness and
technological sovereignty. The Union has made substantial investments in this domain.
There is a need now to further coordinate and implement a pan-European quantum research,
innovation and industrialisation agenda that capitalises on existing strengths and aligns all
efforts around shared priorities. It is becoming increasingly important for Europe to translate
its scientific excellence and innovation potential into real market opportunities and thereby
contribute to the objectives of the Competitiveness Compass.
This amendment reinforces the current mandate of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking on
quantum technologies to:
• Support the development of a full European quantum ecosystem, covering research,
innovation, infrastructure deployment, skills, and industrial capabilities;
• Ensure synergies between quantum and classical HPC infrastructures, notably for
hybrid systems, simulations, and co-development platforms;
5
Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1732
6
https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/competitiveness-compass_en
EN 3 EN
• Promote Europe's technological sovereignty, by reinforcing capabilities in quantum-
enabling components and reducing dependencies in critical areas;
• Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area
The objective of this proposal is to widen the scope of Council Regulation 2024/1732 in order
to enable the Union to respond to new technological developments and strategic imperatives,
namely the significant scale-up of AI-optimised compute capacity in Europe, as well as to
align Member States around shared priorities in quantum technologies by redressing the
existing fragmentation of quantum programmes across countries in the Union.
• Consistency with other Union policies
This proposal is fully in line with other Union policies, especially those policies enacted under
the Commission priority ‘A prosperous and competitive Europe’.
2. LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY
• Legal basis
The legal basis of the Joint Undertaking is Article 187 and the first paragraph of Article 188
of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
• Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)
The subsidiarity principle applies insofar as the proposal does not fall under the exclusive
competence of the Union.
The Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 covers the subsidiarity principle as its objectives,
namely the strengthening of research and innovation capabilities, the acquisition of
supercomputers and quantum computers, and access to high performance computing,
quantum computing and data infrastructure across the Union by means of a Joint Undertaking,
cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, but can rather, by reason of avoiding
unnecessary duplication, retaining critical mass and ensuring that public financing is used in
an optimal way, be better achieved at Union level.
To serve the ambitions of industrial leadership and of the AI Continent Action Plan, the
Regulation establishing the Joint Undertaking requires a targeted amendment enabling the
EuroHPC Joint Undertaking to accommodate the specificities of the AI Gigafactories and to
implement the EU’s quantum strategy.
Due to the nature of quantum and AI and the magnitude of investments required for the AI
Gigafactories and quantum technologies, to keep Europe’s edge in these critical technologies
can only be achieved by common action at Union level.
• Proportionality
The proposed amendment complies with the principles of proportionality as set out in Article
5, paragraph 4 of the Treaty on the European Union.
• Choice of the instrument
The creation and operation of a Joint Undertaking in which the Union participates requires a
Council Regulation, to which an amendment is now being proposed.
EN 4 EN
3. RESULTS OF EX-POST EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER
CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS
• Ex-post evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation
This is an amendment to an existing Regulation. The proposed targeted amendment to the
Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 is the only way to fulfil the political commitment
announced by President von der Leyen at the AI Summit in February 2025 of setting up the
AI GigaFactories, as well as the implementation of the EU’s Quantum Strategy. No ex-post
evaluation or impact assessment has been performed.
• Stakeholder consultations
Stakeholders have been extensively consulted for the purpose of the amendments regarding
the AI Gigafactories:
– a debate with the EuroHPC Participating States in the EuroHPC Governing Board,
– structured discussions with key public and private players of relevance for the
initiative, including government representatives, Union and international companies,
and private as well as public funding institutions, such as the European Investment
Bank Group,
– a Call for Expression of Interest (CfEI) running from 9 April until 20 June 2025.
This call invited ideas from across Europe, helping to identify potential consortia and
gather the insights needed to refine the framework for AI Gigafactory development.
Due to very targeted nature of the amendments to the Regulation, which already mandates the
EuroHPC JU to act in the field of AI and quantum, there is no need to conduct an Impact
Assessment.
For quantum technologies, the amendment reflects inputs gathered through the public call for
evidence conducted as part of the preparation of the European Quantum Technologies
Strategy.
This consultation, launched by the European Commission, gathered contributions from a
broad spectrum of stakeholders, including research organisations, industry representatives,
national authorities, and civil society, and highlighted the importance of coordinated Union
action to support the development of a comprehensive quantum ecosystem. Key priorities
identified include: long-term research investment, infrastructure development, skills and
education, industrial deployment, and international collaboration.
Additional inputs were also received through the following two channels:
– A debate with representatives of the Quantum Technology Coordination (Expert)
Group7
where all the Member States are participating;
– Intense interactions with expert working groups from all the Member States that
were set up under the coordination of the Quantum Technology Coordination Group.
The expert working groups issued a report8
presenting a set of shared strategic
priorities and recommendations guiding the development of quantum technologies in
Europe.
7
https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupID=3629
8
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/shaping-european-strategy-quantum-technology-main-orientations-and-
recommendations
EN 5 EN
These inputs have helped inform the inclusion of quantum technologies in this amendment,
ensuring coherence with stakeholder expectations and with the broader strategic direction of
the Union in digital technologies.
4. BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS
Additional funds from Horizon Europe, Connecting Europe Facility, Digital Europe will be
channelled to the EuroHPC JU to implement the AI Gigafactories and the Union quantum
strategy.
5. OTHER ELEMENTS
• Detailed explanation of the specific provisions of the proposal
The amendment to the Regulation enlarges its scope in order to expand the objective of the
Joint Undertaking related to development and operation of AI Gigafactories in Europe that
will be federated with the AI Factories.
The objective addresses the unique considerations and requirements associated with the
establishment of such ultra-scale AI data and compute infrastructure facilities necessary
for training and deploying very large AI models and applications in the Union. It should
be clarified that the amendments introduce the inclusion of AI Gigafactories within the
scope of the Regulation.
This amendment responds to the major technological developments in the field of AI that
have taken place since the original Regulation came into force in 2021 and since the previous
amendment in 2024.
These developments are reflected in the amended Articles of the Regulation. Article 2(3d)
presents the definition of an AI Gigafactory.
Article 3(2)(h) presents its new objective to support the establishment of Artificial
Intelligence Gigafactories, in support of the further development of a highly competitive and
innovative Artificial Intelligence ecosystem in the Union.
Article 4(1)(i) defines the Joint Undertaking’s new AI Gigafactory pillar of activity.
Articles 5 is amended to reflect the increase and use of the Union financial contribution.
Article 12b is introduced to govern the location of an AI Gigafactory, conditions for eligibility
of the public-private consortia seeking to host AI Gigafactories, rules pertaining to the share
and conditions of the Union and EuroHPC Participating States’ funds contributing to the
establishment of AI Gigafactories, evaluation criteria for the selection of AI Gigafactories,
criteria for the public access time etc.
Article 16(1) is amended to allow the use of EuroHPC supercomputers for civilian and
security applications.
The amendment will also take into account the implementation of the European
quantum strategy by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking.
A new definition is added (Article 2, point 19a) introducing the concept of a “national
quantum Competence Centre”, understood as a legal entity or consortium established in a
participating country, offering access to quantum technologies, tools, services, and
infrastructures. These centres aim to support users from industry, academia, and public
EN 6 EN
administrations, and to promote skills development, training, networking, and outreach
activities related to QT.
Article 3(1) is amended to present the Joint Undertaking’s updated mission to support the
development and uptake of demand-oriented and user-driven innovative and competitive
supercomputing systems and quantum. Article 3(2)(fa) presents the Joint Undertaking’s new
objective to support state-of-the-art scientific and applied research and innovation in quantum
technologies.
The amendment also adds a new point (j) to Article 4(1), establishing a Quantum
Technologies Pillar that addresses the entire European quantum ecosystem, including
quantum computing, simulation, communication, sensing, and metrology.
The scope of actions covers:
• Scientific research and technological innovation in quantum domains;
• Industrialisation and scale-up of quantum technologies, including support to startups
and disruptive innovation;
• Development of a network of national quantum competence centres, uptake of
quantum applications in strategic sectors, and standardisation;
• Skills development and mobility, fostering a strong and inclusive quantum
workforce;
• International cooperation aligned with Union external policy.
To help the EuroHPC JU to implement the quantum strategy, article 4 of the annex introduces
the notion of Quantum Strategy Advisory Group and article 14b of this same annex details the
tasks expected by the Quantum Strategy Advisory Group.
2025/0229 (NLE)
Proposal for a
COUNCIL REGULATION
on amending Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 of 13 July 2021 on establishing the
European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking and repealing Regulation
(EU) 2018/1488
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular
Article 187 and 188, first paragraph, thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament9
,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee10
,
9
OJ C , , p. .
10
OJ C […], […], p. […]
EN 7 EN
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying
down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act) aims to
improve the functioning of the internal market by laying down a uniform legal
framework in particular for the development, marketing and use of artificial
intelligence in conformity with Union values.
(2) Since 2021, when the Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 was adopted, the field of
artificial intelligence (AI) has seen enormous technical progress and become a highly
strategic and contested domain globally. The European Union is at the forefront of
efforts to support responsible innovation in AI, by guiding innovation,
setting guardrails, and developing global governance.
(3) Large AI general purpose models have emerged as vital drivers of economic
competitiveness and innovation. They become pivotal in enhancing productivity
across diverse sectors and transform entire value chains, thus dictating future
economic value capture. The next generation of frontier AI models are expected to
unlock a leap in capabilities, towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) capable of
tackling highly complex and diverse tasks, matching human capabilities. Regions
capable of developing and implementing these AI models at scale will lead in global
innovation and attract premier talent. At the same time, sectors at the forefront of
science and industry, such as biotechnology, climate, automotive, defence, space and
aerospace, demand substantial computing resources to undertake major AI-driven
scientific discoveries and industrial innovations. Synergies between these activities
and those undertaken by other Union programmes, such as the EU Space Programme,
will be exploited, with appropriate safeguards in place to protect the strategic interests
of the Union and its Member States.
(4) The most advanced AI Factories in Europe will be equipped with supercomputers
featuring up to 25,000 advanced AI processors, allowing only to develop middle-range
AI models. Significant investments are therefore needed to scale up Europe’s
computing capacities to the next level.
(5) On 9 April 2025, the Commission launched the AI Continent Action Plan11
to position
the Union as a global leader in AI. A core pillar of this strategy is boosting the Europe-
wide infrastructure for training advanced AI models taking the 2024 AI Factories
concept up to the next level.
(6) The development of the next generation of frontier AI models is expected to require
large-scale facilities, exceeding at least by three to four times the number of the most
advanced AI processors available in the most powerful AI Factories, while taking into
account power capacity, as well as energy, water efficiency and circularity. The
existing mechanisms within Regulation 2021/1173 are not equipped today to support
the establishment and operation of the AI Gigafactories. A targeted amendment is
therefore necessary to provide the European High Performance Computing Joint
Undertaking (the ‘Joint Undertaking’) with the necessary legal basis to be able to meet
the commitments regarding setting up and operation of AI Gigafactories in Europe.
(7) Strengthening the scientific and technological bases of the Union is increasingly vital
for its long-term competitiveness and strategic autonomy. Indeed, artificial intelligence
11
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-sets-course-europes-ai-leadership-ambitious-
ai-continent-action-plan
EN 8 EN
has the potential of accelerating scientific discovery and enhancing research
capabilities across all domains. It is therefore essential that AI private and public
users, in particular SMEs and scale-ups, within the Union benefit from world-class
supercomputing infrastructures in order to sustain and advance Europe’s leadership in
research and innovation.
(8) The European Commission’s Competitiveness Compass, adopted on 29 January 2025,
identifies strategic technologies including quantum technologies and high-
performance computing as essential pillars to ensure Europe’s technological
sovereignty, economic resilience, and global leadership. The Compass stresses the
need for coordinated investments and ecosystem development across research,
infrastructure, industry, and skills to strengthen the Union’s competitiveness in these
fields.
(9) Complementing this, the European Quantum Strategy, which will be adopted in July
2025, sets out a comprehensive framework to accelerate quantum research, innovation,
industrialisation, and deployment of quantum technologies and infrastructures. It aims
to build a sustainable and competitive quantum ecosystem, covering computing,
communication, sensing, and metrology, with a strong focus on skills development as
well as on international cooperation.
(10) In view of the policy importance of this initiative, the amounts initially allocated from
Horizon Europe, Digital Europe Programme and the Connecting Europe Facility
should be increased to allow the Union to reach its objective, subject to budgetary
availability.
(11) Given the rapid technological developments in the field and the adapting Union AI
policy, possible significant additional Union financing for AI gigafactories could be
required in the coming years. Considering this specific policy context, it should be
possible to entrust to the Joint Undertaking additional Union funding going beyond the
amounts set out in Article 5(1). Such additional contribution should be at least
matched by the members of the Joint Undertaking other than the Union.
(12) In order to accelerate the development of AI Gigafactories across the Union, Member
States may decide to use their remaining allocations under the Recovery and
Resilience Facility (RRF) to finance their national contributions to an AI Gigafactory.
To this end, Member States should be permitted to provide contributions to the Joint
Undertaking for the purpose of supporting AI Gigafactory projects.
(13) Additional Union contributions to AI gigafactories from other programmes, not listed
in Article 5(1), should also be possible, through the signature of specific ad hoc
contribution agreements, subject to commensurate contribution by one or more
members of the Joint Undertaking other than the Union. A clear description of the
intended use of entrusted funds, as well as a timeline for implementation shall be
included in the corresponding contribution agreements in accordance with the relevant
Commission work programme.
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Regulation (EU) No 2021/1173 is amended as follows:
(1) Article 2 is amended as follows:
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(2) the following point (3c) is added:
(3c) ‘Artificial Intelligence Giga Factory’ or ‘AI Gigafactory’ means a state-of-the-
art large-scale facility with sufficient capacity to handle the complete lifecycle –
development, training, fine-tuning, and large-scale inference – of very large, AI
models and applications, providing a supercomputing service infrastructure, which is
composed of AI-optimised computing capacity, a supporting data centre
infrastructure (including high-capacity storage and networking), dedicated secure
cloud user access environments, and specialised secure AI-oriented support services
for its advanced operations and is supported by an environmentally sustainable
energy supply system.
(3) the following point (3d) is added:
(3d) ‘Artificial Intelligence Giga Factory Consortium’ or ‘AI Gigafactory
Consortium’ means an association of legal entities duly incorporated in the Union
coming together in a consortium for the purpose of establishing and operating an AI
Gigafactory and specifying the respective roles and responsibilities of these entities
for the lifetime of the AI Gigafactory, or a new legal entity established for the
purpose of establishing and operating an AI Gigafactory, that has a legal form
recognised in any Member State. The AI Gigafactory Consortium shall be
established for a minimum duration of five years. One or more of the private partners
of such consortium may be participating in the Private Members of the Joint
Undertaking.
(4) the following point (3e) is added:
(3e) ‘AI Gigafactory Coordinator’ means a legal entity, duly incorporated in the
Union and validly existing under the laws of a Member State of establishment, which
is legally authorized to represent the AI Gigafactory Consortium and has the legal
capacity and authority to enter into, execute, and perform the AI Gigafactory Hosting
Agreement; the AI Gigafactory coordinator shall be headquartered in the Union and
shall be under control, directly or indirectly, through ownership interest or via other
means, as defined in the Chapter IV of Regulation (EU) No 2024/1624 and relevant
Union competition law principles, of legal entities or natural persons established
within the Union. The coordinator may also be an existing hosting entity representing
a Participating State that is a Member State or a hosting consortium of Participating
States.
(5) the following point (3f) is added:
(3f) ‘AI Gigafactory Hosting Agreement’ means an administrative agreement
between the Joint Undertaking and the AI Gigafactory Coordinator to host and
operate an AI Gigafactory.
(6) the following point (3g) is added:
(3g) ‘AI Gigafactory hosting entity’ means a legal entity which has been designated
by the AI Gigafactory consortium to host and operate an AI Gigafactory and its
services, and which is established in a Participating State that is a Member State.
(7) the following point (3h) is added:
(3h) ‘Artificial Intelligence Gigafactory Cooperation Agreement’ is an agreement
between the Joint Undertaking and a third country specifying access conditions to AI
Gigafactories for the legal entities under control, directly or indirectly, through
EN 10 EN
ownership interest or via other means, of legal entities or natural persons established
in that third country.
(8) the following point (19a) is added:
(19a) ‘national quantum Competence Centre' means a legal entity, or a consortium of
legal entities, established in a Participating State, providing users from industry,
including SMEs, academia, and public administrations with access on demand to
quantum technologies, tools, applications and services, as well as to national or
European quantum infrastructures, and offering expertise, skills, training, networking
and outreach.
(9) Article 3 is amended as follows:
(10) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:
The mission of the Joint Undertaking shall be to develop, deploy, extend and
maintain in the Union a world-leading federated, secure and hyper-connected
supercomputing, quantum computing, service and data infrastructure ecosystem. It
shall also support the development and uptake of demand-oriented and user-driven
innovative and competitive supercomputing systems and quantum technologies and
systems based on a supply chain that will ensure components, technologies and
knowledge limiting the risk of disruptions and the development of a wide range of
applications optimised for these systems; and, to widen the use of that
supercomputing infrastructure to a large number of public and private users and
support the twin transition and the development of key skills for European science
and industry.
(11) The following point (fa) is added to paragraph 2:
(fa) to support state-of-the-art scientific and applied research and innovation in
quantum technologies, their transition from the lab-to-the fab, and their deployment,
uptake and integration in world-class quantum infrastructures, for building a
dynamic, innovative and resilient quantum ecosystem across the EU, and for
ensuring scientific and industrial leadership, competitiveness, strategic autonomy and
technological sovereignty of the Union in quantum computing, communication and
sensing.
(12) Point (h) in paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:
(h) to develop and operate the Artificial Intelligence Factories, and to support the
establishment of and access to Artificial Intelligence Gigafactories and their services,
in support of the further development of a highly competitive and innovative
Artificial Intelligence ecosystem in the Union.
(13) Paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:
The Joint Undertaking shall contribute to safeguarding the interests of the Union
when procuring supercomputers and supporting the development and uptake of
High-Performance Computing and quantum technologies, systems and applications.
It shall enable a co-design approach for the acquisition of world-class
supercomputers, while safeguarding the security of the supply chain of procured
technologies and systems. It shall contribute to the Union's strategic autonomy,
support the development of technologies and applications reinforcing the European
High-Performance Computing and Quantum Technologies supply chains and
promote their integration in systems that address a large number of scientific,
societal, environmental, industrial as well as security use needs.
EN 11 EN
(14) Article 4 is amended as follows:
(15) the following point (i) is added to paragraph 1:
(i) AI Gigafactory pillar, covering activities of AI Gigafactories, which in their
operation may be connected with the EuroHPC network of Artificial Intelligence
Factories for ensuring seamless integration and knowledge sharing across the
European Artificial Intelligence ecosystem; this pillar shall include the following
activities:
(i) providing a world-class Artificial Intelligence compute infrastructure for
European researchers, entrepreneurs, and industries,
(ii) enabling the development of new Artificial Intelligence solutions across all
public and private sectors and
(iii) ensuring the Union’s competitiveness and sovereignty as an Artificial
Intelligence continent.
(16) the following point (j) is added to paragraph 1:
(j) Quantum technologies pillar, addressing the full quantum ecosystem and the
application domains of quantum computing and simulation, quantum
communication, and quantum sensing and metrology, ensuring the security and
resilience of the quantum supply chain and its enabling technologies. Activities shall
inter alia address:
(a) Scientific and Technological Research and Innovation: Advancing
research excellence in quantum science and technology domains.
(b) Transition from the lab to the fab and ecosystem development:
Supporting the development and deployment of state-of-the-art quantum
infrastructures; fostering the industrialisation of quantum technologies by
supporting the uptake of quantum applications in key public and industrial
sectors, ensuring the translation of advances across all quantum domains
into real-world applications, including the development of lead markets;
promoting European and international standards; and, supporting the
development and networking of national quantum competence centres
across Europe.
(c) Skills and Talent: Developing a competitive and inclusive quantum
research and engineering workforce through coordinated education, training
and mobility initiatives, across key quantum-related disciplines and
technical fields.
(d) International cooperation: Developing international collaboration in
quantum technologies to solve global scientific and societal challenges, in
line with the external policy objectives and international commitments of
the Union.
(17) Article 5 is amended as follows:
(18) Paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:
The Union financial contribution to the Joint Undertaking including EEA
appropriations shall be up to EUR 3 972 300 000 including EUR 92 000 000 for
administrative costs, on the condition that that amount is at least matched by the
contribution of Participating States, distributed indicatively as follows:
EN 12 EN
(a) up to EUR 1 660 000 000 from Horizon Europe
(b) up to EUR 2 012 300 000 from the Digital Europe Programme
(c) up to EUR 300 000 000 from the Connecting Europe Facility.
(19) A new subparagraph is added in Paragraph 1:
Additional funds from Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme and the
Connecting Europe Facility may complement the Union contribution referred to in
the first sub-paragraph, on the condition that the additional amounts are at least
matched by the contribution of one or more members of the Joint Undertaking other
than the Union. Such additional Union contribution shall be dedicated exclusively to
the pillar referred to in Article 4(1)(i). These additional funds shall not be accounted
for in the calculation of the Union maximum financial contribution.
(20) Paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:
Additional funds from any Union programme other than and complementing the ones
referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article may be allocated to the Joint Undertaking to
support its pillars of activities referred to in Article 4, except those referred to in
Article 4(1)(a). These additional funds shall not be accounted for in the calculation of
the Union maximum financial contribution.
(21) A new paragraph 4a is added:
For the contributions entrusted to the Joint Undertaking in accordance with
paragraph 3 and 4 of this Article, the requirements of Article 158 of Regulation (EU,
Euratom) 2024/2509 are applicable. When these additional Union contributions are
related to the pillar referred to in Article 4(1)(i), one or more of the members other
than the Union shall make additional contributions commensurate to the amount of
the Union contributions.
(22) Paragraph 6 is deleted.
(23) Paragraph 7 is deleted.
(24) Paragraph 8 is deleted.
(25) The following Article 12b is added:
‘Article 12b’
Artificial Intelligence Giga Factory
1. An AI Gigafactory shall be located in a Member State. It shall be financially
supported by a partnership between the Union and one or more Participating States,
represented through the Joint Undertaking, and an AI Gigafactory Consortium,
which may include one or more technology infrastructure suppliers, legally
represented by an AI Gigafactory Coordinator.
2. Participation in an AI Gigafactory Consortium of legal entities from non-
Participating States may be subject to restrictions or exclusion where such
participation is considered contrary to the Union's strategic assets, interests,
autonomy or security. In accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/695, Regulation
(EU) 2021/694 and Regulation (EU) 2021/1153, the call for expression of interest for
selecting an AI Gigafactory Consortium may limit participation in the said
Consortium to legal entities established only in Participating States or to legal
entities established in specified associated countries of the Horizon Europe
Framework Programme, the Digital Europe Programme and any subsequent relevant
EN 13 EN
Union funding programme, or other third countries in addition to Participating States.
The restrictions and exclusions referred to in this paragraph shall in principle not
apply to legal entities established in third countries, which have signed an AI
Gigafactory Cooperation Agreement or a similar agreement with the Union. The call
for expression of interest for selecting an AI Gigafactory may specify that legal
entities in other third countries may be eligible provided they comply with the
requirements to be fulfilled by those legal entities to guarantee the protection of the
security interests of the Union and the Member States and to ensure the protection of
classified documents information. Those requirements shall be set out in the work
programme.
3. The AI Gigafactory Consortium shall benefit from explicit provision of an
appropriate supporting document proving the commitment of the Member State
where the AI Gigafactory hosting entity is established, or of the competent
authorities of the Participating States of the AI Gigafactory Consortium.
4. The Union financial contribution referred to in Article 5 shall cover up to 17% to the
capital expenditure (CAPEX) investments of the overall compute infrastructure of
the AI Gigafactory, or to a pre-agreed guaranteed purchase of access time to the AI
Gigafactory equivalent to a leased capacity of the CAPEX. One or more Participating
States should at least match the Union contribution. The remaining investment as
well as the operational expenditure (OPEX) of the AI Gigafactory shall be covered
by the AI Gigafactory Consortium.
5. A selected AI Factory may substantially scale up to become an AI Gigafactory. In
such case, the Union’s financial support already provided for this AI Factory shall be
counted as part of the Union’s contribution towards the CAPEX of the AI
Gigafactory computing infrastructure. The Artificial Intelligence Factory hosting
agreement referred to in Article 10 shall be modified accordingly, where appropriate.
The additional investment into the Artificial Intelligence Factory concerned to
become an AI Gigafactory as well as the operational expenditure (OPEX) of the AI
Gigafactory shall be covered by the AI Gigafactory Consortium.
6. Participating States that are Member States may, by mutual agreement with the Joint
Undertaking, channel their respective voluntary contributions, including those
referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article and any other in addition to them, in total or
in part, for a specific AI Gigafactory through the Joint Undertaking, which shall then
manage and disburse these funds to the designated AI Gigafactory on their behalf.
7. The Joint Undertaking shall own the part of the AI Gigafactory compute
infrastructure corresponding to the Union contribution specified in paragraphs 4 and
5. The duration of this ownership or of the leased capacity referred to in paragraph 4
shall be at least five years from the start of operations of the AI Gigafactory and
further specified in the AI Gigafactory Hosting Agreement. This duration shall be
extended in case of a substantial upgrade of the AI Gigafactory compute
infrastructure. Without prejudice to the winding up of the Joint Undertaking, as
referred to in Article 23(4) of the Statutes, this ownership shall be transferred in
accordance with the AI Gigafactory Hosting Agreement or be extended for an agreed
period under conditions specified in the AI Gigafactory Hosting Agreement. In the
case of transfer of ownership to the AI Gigafactory consortium, the residual value of
the AI Gigafactory compute infrastructure shall be converted into equivalent access
rights for the Union. If there is no transfer of ownership to the AI Gigafactory
consortium according to the Hosting Agreement, but a decision for
EN 14 EN
decommissioning, the relevant costs shall be borne by the AI Gigafactory
Consortium.
8. The access rights of the Union and the Participating States in AI Gigafactory shall be
directly proportional to their respective financial contributions to the CAPEX of the
computing infrastructure of the AI Gigafactory, or to the pre-agreed guaranteed
purchase of access time to the AI Gigafactory.
9. The Governing Board of the Joint Undertaking shall determine:
(a) the conditions of the Union's access time to the AI Gigafactories,
(b) specific rules for access conditions to AI Gigafactories that concern the
allocation of access time for projects and activities considered as strategic for
the Union.
10. When determining the conditions of the Union’s access time pursuant to paragraph 9,
the Governing Board shall ensure that access shall:
(a) be granted to users residing, established or located in a Member State or in a
third country associated to the Digital Europe Programme, to Horizon Europe
or to the Connecting Europe Facility;
(b) be free of charge for the users from entities governed by public law. It shall
also be free of charge for industrial users for applications related to research
and innovation activities funded by Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe
Programme, or the Connecting Europe Facility as well as those awarded a Seal
of Excellence under Horizon Europe or the Digital Europe Programme and for
private innovation activities of SMEs and scale-ups;
(c) include reserved compute resources specifically for EU-funded research
projects, ensuring guaranteed availability and scheduling priority.
11. The Governing Board shall monitor the share of the Union’s access time for the
different types of users, defined in point (a) of paragraph 10. In case where there is a
significant imbalance in shares of access time between the different types of users
versus demand, it shall take appropriate corrective action to address this imbalance.
12. Contributions from the Union or the Participating States shall be subject to
conditions ensuring the protection of the Union's strategic interests. The specific
conditions referred to in this paragraph shall be laid down in a dedicated AI
Gigafactory Hosting Agreement between the Joint Undertaking and the AI
Gigafactory consortium. The AI Gigafactory Hosting Agreement shall be governed
by Union law, supplemented, for any matter not covered by this Regulation or by
other Union legal acts, by the law of the Member State where the hosting entity is
established. The AI Gigafactory Hosting Agreement shall:
(a) set out in detail the ownership and governance structure of the AI Gigafactory;
(b) include provisions ensuring an effective scrutiny and control of the AI
Gigafactory by the Union for safeguarding the Union’s strategic assets,
interests, autonomy or security;
(c) specify the financial contributions of the Union, of the Participating States and
the public and/or private partners of the AI Gigafactory Consortium including
the guaranteed access time to the AI Gigafactory referred to in paragraph 8, as
appropriate, and its duration;
EN 15 EN
(d) specify, if appropriate, any other Union’s interests resulting from any Union
investments regulated by specific investment agreements between the AI
Gigafactory consortium and InvestEU;
(e) set out the eligibility conditions for the non-Union users of an AI Gigafactory;
these shall comply with the same conditions as the eligibility conditions
specified in paragraph 2;
(f) set out the detailed conditions for access for the Union users and the
accounting modalities of the access times to the AI Gigafactory services;
(g) the quality of service offered to the Joint Undertaking users when operating the
AI Gigafactory, as set out in the service level agreement included in the AI
Gigafactory Hosting Agreement;
(h) set out the modalities of acquisition, operation and use of the AI Gigafactory
data and compute infrastructure, including the user requirements from the
public sector, where appropriate; where the AI Gigafactory Consortium
includes one or more technology infrastructure suppliers, the AI Gigafactory
Hosting Agreement shall include the provision of enhanced conflict-of-interest
safeguards concerning these suppliers;
(i) the conditions for the transfer of ownership referred to in paragraph 7, where
appropriate;
(j) detail the extension of ownership or of the pre-agreed guaranteed purchased
access time, as appropriate, and the phasing out conditions for the AI
Gigafactory, where appropriate;
(k) the liability conditions for operating the AI Gigafactory, where appropriate;
(l) the obligation of the AI Gigafactory hosting entity to submit by 31 January of
each year to the Governing Board an audit report and data on the use of the
Union access time in the previous financial year;
(m) contain an arbitration clause, within the meaning of Article 272 TFEU,
granting jurisdiction over all matters covered by the hosting agreement to the
Court of Justice of the European Union.
13. The AI Gigafactory shall include a public governance body composed of
representatives from the Commission and the Participating States providing public
funding to the specific AI Gigafactory. Without prejudice to the AI Gigafactory
consortium’s management and operational autonomy, and to ensure alignment with
the public interest objectives underpinning the public funding, the following
elements shall require explicit prior approval from the designated public governance
body:
(a) Any proposed access agreements with entities from third countries that may
raise concerns regarding the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy or
security;
(b) Substantial changes to the legal and financial structure or control impacting the
Union’s interests or those of the Participating States, such as a change in the
ultimate ownership or control of the AI Gigafactory, any relocation of critical
assets outside the Union or major financial restructuring decisions;
(c) Significant change in the strategic purpose of the AI Gigafactories.
EN 16 EN
14. Following a call for expression of interest, the AI Gigafactory Consortium shall be
selected by the Governing Board of the Joint Undertaking through a fair and
transparent process, with the support of a panel of independent experts and of an
accredited financial institution appointed by the Governing Board for the evaluation,
based, inter alia, on the following criteria:
(a) Technical evaluation:
(1) Objectives and technical quality of the proposal
(2) Quality of the workplan
(3) Quality of the physical, IT and networking infrastructure
(4) Sustainability and energy efficiency
(5) Consortium experience and know-how in setting up similar large-scale
facilities.
(b) Potential Impact:
(1) Quality of service, including security and trustworthiness
(2) Impact on the European AI ecosystem
(3) EU added value.
(c) Financial Feasibility:
(1) Investment commitments of the Participating States and of the AI
Gigafactory Consortium
(2) Quality and financial viability of the proposed business model (including
a due diligence to be carried out by the appointed accredited financial
institution).
15. Where the Consortium does not include one or more technology infrastructure
suppliers, the suppliers of the AI Gigafactory shall be selected by the AI Gigafactory
Consortium based on fair and transparent tender specifications that shall take into
account general system specifications, and in particular the user requirements from
the public sector, provided by the Union in the call for expression of interest and
further specified in the AI Gigafactory Hosting Agreement. The selection shall be
based on fair, open and transparent criteria, and shall also ensure EU added value and
address the security and resilience of the supply chain. The selected tenderers shall
comply with the eligibility conditions specified in paragraph 2.
16. The Joint Undertaking may establish framework contracts for the provision of
essential and high-demand components, such as advanced AI processors. The AI
Gigafactory Consortia may use the framework contracts referred to in this paragraph
for their procurement.
(26) Article 16 is amended as follows:
(27) Paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:
Without prejudice to Article 17(9), the use of EuroHPC supercomputers shall be
open to users from the public and private sectors applications. Except for the
industrial-grade EuroHPC supercomputers, their use shall be primarily for research
and innovation purposes falling under public funding programmes, for public sector
applications and for private innovation activities of SMEs, where appropriate.
EN 17 EN
Annex
The Annex is amended as follows:
(28) Article 3 of the Annex is amended as follows:
(29) Paragraph 2 is amended:
Any application of a Member State or a third country associated to Horizon Europe
or the Digital Europe Programme for membership of the Joint Undertaking shall be
addressed to the Governing Board. The candidate countries shall provide a written
acceptance of these Statutes, and of any other provisions governing the functioning
of the Joint Undertaking. The candidates shall also provide their motivation for
requesting membership to the Joint Undertaking and indicate how their national
supercomputing or quantum technology strategy is aligned with the Joint
Undertaking's objectives. The Governing Board shall assess the application, taking
into account the relevance and the potential added value of the candidate as regards
the achievement of the mission and objectives of the Joint Undertaking and may
decide to ask for clarifications regarding the candidature before endorsing the
application.
(30) Article 4 of the Annex is amended as follows:
(31) the following point (d) is added in paragraph 1:
(d) the Quantum Strategy Advisory Group.
(32) Article 5 of the Annex is amended as follows:
(33) the following paragraph 3 is added:
(3) For the quantum pillar of activities, the Participating States shall appoint a
representative from their competent authorities in the field of quantum technologies.
(34) Article 6 of the Annex is amended as follows:
(35) the following paragraph 5a is added:
(5a) For the tasks referred to in Article 7(4a) of these Statutes, and for each AI
Gigafactory, the voting rights of the Participating States shall be distributed in
proportion to their committed financial contributions and to their in-kind
contributions to that AI Gigafactory until the end of the AI Gigafactory hosting
agreement; the in-kind contributions shall only be taken into account if they have
been certified ex-ante by an independent expert or auditor.
For the purpose of this paragraph, decisions of the Governing Board shall be taken
by a majority of at least 75 % of all votes, including the votes of the members who
are absent.
(36) the following paragraph 6 is amended:
(6) For the tasks referred to in Article 7(5), 7(5a), 7(6) and 7(7) of these Statutes,
decisions of the Governing Board shall be taken in two stages.
EN 18 EN
(37) Article 7 of the Annex is amended as follows:
(38) the following paragraph 4a is added:
(4a) The Governing Board shall carry out the following tasks related to the AI
Gigafactories referred to in Article 12b of this Regulation:
(a) discuss and adopt the part of the multiannual strategic programme that is
related to the establishment of AI Gigafactories referred to in Article
18(1) of these Statutes;
(b) discuss and adopt the part of the annual work programme that is related
to the establishment of AI Gigafactories and the selection of AI
Gigafactory Consortia and the corresponding expenditure estimates;
(c) approve the launch of calls for expression of interest, in accordance with
the annual work programme;
(d) approve the selection of the AI Gigafactory Consortia which will
establish and operate the AI Gigafactories;
(e) determine the conditions of the Union's access time to the AI
Gigafactories
(f) approve any tenders related to the establishment of an AI Gigafactory
selected for funding;
(g) approve framework contracts established by the EuroHPC Joint
Undertaking for the provision of essential and high-demand components
of AI Gigafactories.
(39) the following paragraph 5a is added:
(5a) For the Quantum Pillar of activities, the provisions of Article 7(5) of these
Statutes apply, with the exception of activities related to the acquisition and
operation of quantum computers where the provisions of Article 7(4) of these
Statutes apply.
(40) Article 10 of the Annex is amended as follows:
(41) paragraph 1 is amended as follows:
The Industrial and Scientific Advisory Board shall be composed of a Research and
Innovation Advisory Group, an Infrastructure Advisory Group and a Quantum
Strategy Advisory Group.
(42) the following paragraph 7 is added:
(7) The Quantum Strategy Advisory Group shall consist of no more than twelve
members, of which up to six shall be appointed by the Private Members taking into
EN 19 EN
account their commitments to the Joint Undertaking and up to six shall be appointed
by the Governing Board, in accordance with Article 7(3)(k) of these Statutes.
(43) The following Article 12a is added:
Article 12a
Functioning of the Quantum Strategy Advisory Group
1. The Quantum Strategy Advisory Group shall meet at least twice a year.
2. The Quantum Strategy Advisory Group may appoint working groups where
necessary under the overall coordination of one or more members.
3. The Quantum Strategy Advisory Group shall elect its chair.
4. The Quantum Strategy Advisory Group shall adopt its rules of procedure, including
the nomination of the constituent entities that shall represent the Advisory Group and
the duration of their nomination.
(44) The following Article 14a is added:
Article 14a
Tasks of the Quantum Strategy Advisory Group
1. The Quantum Strategy Advisory Group shall:
(a) draw up its contribution to the draft multiannual strategic programme in
relation to quantum technologies activities referred to in Article 20 of these
Statutes and review it regularly in accordance with the evolution of scientific,
industrial, and policy demand;
(b) organise public consultations open to all public and private stakeholders having
an interest in the field of quantum technologies to inform them about, and
collect feedback on, the draft multiannual strategic programme and the related
draft activities of the quantum technologies work programme for a given year.
(c) The contribution to the draft multiannual strategic programme referred to in
paragraph 1 shall address:
(d) the strategic research, innovation, deployment, and infrastructure priorities for
the development and uptake of quantum technologies and their integration into
the European digital ecosystem, to support the Union's resilience, technological
sovereignty, and strategic autonomy while taking into account the dual-use
potential of such technologies;
(e) potential international cooperation activities in quantum technologies that add
value and are of mutual interest while ensuring alignment with Union values
and security interests
(f) training, education, and workforce development priorities for addressing key
competences and the skills gap in quantum technologies, including awareness
of security-sensitive applications
(g) the acquisition, deployment, and operation of quantum infrastructures,
including the interconnection and federation with High Performance
Computing infrastructures and other digital infrastructures such as quantum
communications and quantum sensing;
EN 20 EN
(h) measures for capability building, interoperability, standardisation, security in
the field of quantum technologies with specific consideration of dual-use risks
and protection of the strategic assets, interests, autonomy or security of the
Union.
(45) Article 16 of the Annex is amended as follows:
Budgetary commitments of the Joint undertaking may be divided into annual
instalments. From January 2025, at least 20 % of the cumulative budget of the
residual years shall not be covered by annual instalments.
Article 40
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in
the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels,
For the European Parliament
The President
For the Council
The President
EN 21 EN
EN 1 EN
LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL AND DIGITAL STATEMENT
1. FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE................................................. 3
1.1. Title of the proposal/initiative...................................................................................... 3
1.2. Policy area(s) concerned .............................................................................................. 3
1.3. Objective(s).................................................................................................................. 3
1.3.1. General objective(s) ..................................................................................................... 3
1.3.2. Specific objective(s)..................................................................................................... 3
1.3.3. Expected result(s) and impact...................................................................................... 3
1.3.4. Indicators of performance ............................................................................................ 3
1.4. The proposal/initiative relates to:................................................................................. 4
1.5. Grounds for the proposal/initiative .............................................................................. 4
1.5.1. Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for
roll-out of the implementation of the initiative............................................................ 4
1.5.2. Added value of EU involvement (it may result from different factors, e.g.
coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For
the purposes of this section 'added value of EU involvement' is the value resulting
from EU action, that is additional to the value that would have been otherwise
created by Member States alone. ................................................................................. 4
1.5.3. Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past.................................................. 4
1.5.4. Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with
other appropriate instruments....................................................................................... 5
1.5.5. Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for
redeployment................................................................................................................ 5
1.6. Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact .................................... 6
1.7. Method(s) of budget implementation planned............................................................. 6
2. MANAGEMENT MEASURES................................................................................... 8
2.1. Monitoring and reporting rules .................................................................................... 8
2.2. Management and control system(s) ............................................................................. 8
2.2.1. Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation
mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed.................. 8
2.2.2. Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up
to mitigate them............................................................................................................ 8
2.2.3. Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio between
the control costs and the value of the related funds managed), and assessment of the
expected levels of risk of error (at payment & at closure)........................................... 8
2.3. Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities................................................................ 9
3. ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE............ 10
3.1. Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s)
affected....................................................................................................................... 10
EN 2 EN
3.2. Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations................................... 12
3.2.1. Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations.................................... 12
3.2.1.1. Appropriations from voted budget............................................................................. 12
3.2.1.2. Appropriations from external assigned revenues....................................................... 17
3.2.2. Estimated output funded from operational appropriations......................................... 22
3.2.3. Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations............................... 24
3.2.3.1. Appropriations from voted budget .............................................................................. 24
3.2.3.2. Appropriations from external assigned revenues....................................................... 24
3.2.3.3. Total appropriations ................................................................................................... 24
3.2.4. Estimated requirements of human resources.............................................................. 25
3.2.4.1. Financed from voted budget....................................................................................... 25
3.2.4.2. Financed from external assigned revenues ................................................................ 26
3.2.4.3. Total requirements of human resources ..................................................................... 26
3.2.5. Overview of estimated impact on digital technology-related investments................ 28
3.2.6. Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework.............................. 28
3.2.7. Third-party contributions ........................................................................................... 28
3.3. Estimated impact on revenue ..................................................................................... 29
4. DIGITAL DIMENSIONS.......................................................................................... 29
4.1. Requirements of digital relevance.............................................................................. 30
4.2. Data ............................................................................................................................ 30
4.3. Digital solutions ......................................................................................................... 31
4.4. Interoperability assessment........................................................................................ 31
4.5. Measures to support digital implementation.............................................................. 32
EN 3 EN
1. FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE
1.1. Title of the proposal/initiative
Amendment of the Council Regulation on establishing the European High
Performance Computing Joint Undertaking
1.2. Policy area(s) concerned
Research and Innovation & European Strategic Investments
A Europe fit for the Digital Age
(Advanced Computing - Horizon Europe Cluster 4, Digital, Industry and Space
High Performance Computing – DEP Strategic Objective 1 – Connecting Europe
Facility - Digital)
1.3. Objective(s)
1.3.1. General objective(s)
To boost the available supercomputing capacity in support of the objectives of the AI
Continent Action Plan by enabling the establishment and deployment of AI
Gigafactories across the EU.
To allow implementing the EU quantum strategy vision to transform Europe into a
quantum industrial powerhouse and a global market leader in quantum technologies,
while maintaining its scientific leadership.
1.3.2. Specific objective(s)
Specific objective No 1
To enable the establishment of ultra-scale AI compute infrastructure facilities (AI
Gigafactories), including the required data storage infrastructure facilities, capable of
supporting the development, training, and deployment of very large AI models and
applications at an unprecedented scale (e.g., AI models in the order of hundreds of
trillions of parameters).
To deliver massive computing power for AI workloads, far surpassing that of the
largest existing EuroHPC AI Factory supercomputers, through the integration of
energy-efficient data centres, high-speed network connectivity, and resilient energy
infrastructure essential for operating AI Gigafactories.
Specific objective No 2
To strengthen capabilities across the entire quantum value chain (components,
devices, and systems) and quantum infrastructure capacities and address
fragmentation between current European and national initiatives to reinforce
Europe’s quantum technological sovereignty and economic security.
1.3.3. Expected result(s) and impact
Specify the effects which the proposal/initiative should have on the beneficiaries/groups targeted.
AI Gigafactories will provide the missing native world-class AI data and compute
infrastructure for European innovators (startups, scaleups, industry), researchers and
stakeholders from the public sector. They will strengthen the competitiveness and
innovation capacity of the European industry, by enabling the development of
advanced large-scale AI models and solutions for many different industrial use cases
EN 4 EN
and application sectors. These AI Gigafactories will lay the foundation for truly
sovereign European AI, empowering the development of advanced models trained on
European data, governed by EU laws, and built within a trusted, secure, and ethical
framework that embodies European values.
A more integrated European approach covering all quantum technologies will
strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness and technological sovereignty, secure its
leadership in quantum technologies, help strengthen and further develop a thriving
European quantum startup ecosystem to scaleup and enhance its capacity to compete
internationally and set international standards.
1.3.4. Indicators of performance
Specify the indicators for monitoring progress and achievements.
– The number of AI Gigafactories deployed [by 2027].
– Deployment of quantum computers demonstrating quantum advantage
deployed by 2030, marking a key milestone in Europe’s technological
sovereignty.
– The number of jobs that will be created in the quantum technologies sector by
2030, supporting the development of a strong and competitive European
ecosystem.
– The number of quantum solutions that will be deployed in different
applications and use cases by 2030, with a clear impact orientation across basic
and applied science, industry, and the public sector.
1.4. The proposal/initiative relates to:
 a new action
 a new action following a pilot project / preparatory action12
 the extension of an existing action
 a merger or redirection of one or more actions towards another/a new action
1.5. Grounds for the proposal/initiative
1.5.1. Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for
roll-out of the implementation of the initiative
The Commission launched a non-binding call for expressions of interest for AI
Gigafactories on 9 April 2025, with a submission deadline of 20 June (see
https://eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/document/download/47492db7-592e-4ad8-b672-
9c822f94afa0_en?filename=AI%20GIGAFACTORIES%20CONSULTATION.pdf).
The call aims to gather ideas from across Europe, identify potential consortia, and
inform the development of a robust AI Gigafactory framework. After the deadline,
the Commission will initiate structured discussions with selected proponents and
their supporting Member States to help mature their proposals. The target is to
launch the official call on AI Gigafactories under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking
before end 2025. Therefore the amended Regulation should be in force by then to
enable the launch of the call.
12
As referred to in Article 58(2), point (a) or (b) of the Financial Regulation.
EN 5 EN
To initiate the implementation of the quantum Europe strategy, the Commission
will launch the first targeted actions in the quantum domain in the short term. These
initial steps will set the foundation and create momentum for the broader deployment
of the strategy. The scope and scale of activities will then be progressively expanded
and intensified in alignment with the anticipated adoption, in 2026, of the Quantum
Act, ensuring full compliance and maximising opportunities once the Act is in force.
1.5.2. Added value of EU involvement (it may result from different factors, e.g.
coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For
the purposes of this section 'added value of EU involvement' is the value resulting
from EU action, that is additional to the value that would have been otherwise
created by Member States alone.
Reasons for action at EU level (ex-ante)
The AI Gigafactory initiative is a natural candidate for coordinated European action,
aligning with the EuroHPC JU strategy and leveraging the most suitable EU legal
instruments for implementation. Due to the magnitude of the initiative, on the scale
of three to five billion euros per individual AI Gigafactory, only by acting at the EU
level can Europe pool resources, expertise, and funding to generate the critical mass
required for acquiring next-generation AI data and compute infrastructure. This level
of ambition cannot be achieved through fragmented national efforts alone. The AI
Gigafactory framework provides a unique opportunity to consolidate Europe’s
strategic capabilities in AI, energy-efficient infrastructure, and sovereign AI
development, ensuring that Europe remains competitive and at the forefront of global
AI innovation.
Concerning quantum technologies, Europe is currently at a critical juncture in the
global quantum technology race: The EU and the Member States have demonstrated
strong political commitment, most recently through the 2023 European Declaration
on Quantum Technologies and benefit from world-class scientific excellence.
However, the research landscape in Europe is fragmented, with the Union and
several Member States having their own, uncoordinated research programmes. In
addition, the European quantum ecosystem remains fragile and highly fragmented. It
is dominated by small startups and scale-ups that face significant barriers to growth,
as they lack stable revenue streams, struggle to access capital, and must navigate a
limited industrial demand. Many risk vanishing or relocating to more supportive
ecosystems outside Europe. A cooperation framework between the EU and the
Member States is needed to ensure a coherent and effective coordination across
quantum research and innovation national and European activities, industrial
ecosystem and infrastructure development or skills.
Expected generated EU added value (ex-post)
AI Gigafactories:
– Enhanced coordination and pooling of large scale European, national and
industrial investments in deploying AI Gigafactories for European researchers,
entrepreneurs, industries, and the public sector that is unattainable by
individual Member States and European companies to propel the EU to the AI
forefront globally.
EN 6 EN
– Improved access for European industrial innovators (startups, scaleups and
large industry), public sector stakeholders and researchers to world-class AI
data and compute infrastructure resources for stimulating the development in
Europe of state of the art, ultra large-scale AI models and AI solutions tailored
to the needs of different industrial sectors, public authorities and scientific
disciplines.
– Support the EU’s AI industrial and research ecosystem by bringing together
key AI data and compute infrastructure resources they need to develop ultra
large scale generative trustworthy AI models and applications.
– Strengthening the innovation potential and productivity of the European
industry, by enabling the development of entirely new AI solutions for a wide
range of use cases and industrial application sectors, thus ensuring the EU's
competitiveness and sovereignty as an AI continent.
Quantum Technologies:
– Coordinated efforts in quantum technologies at EU level, in partnership with
Member States, to accelerate the further development and deployment of
quantum technologies, avoiding duplication and fragmentation.
– Alignment and pooling of EU, national, and industrial investments in quantum
technologies.
– Provision of state-of-the-art quantum computing, sensing and communication
infrastructures that would be unattainable by individual Member States and
companies, reinforcing Europe’s strategic autonomy.
– Creation of a coherent and resilient European quantum ecosystem, integrating
supply chains, standardisation activities, and quantum-ready skills
development.
– Increased access for European researchers, start-ups, and industries to
advanced quantum infrastructures and testbeds, supporting innovation and
competitiveness.
– Strengthened global positioning of the EU in key areas such as quantum
computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing, aligned with long-
term EU strategic goals.
1.5.3. Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past
– The AI Factories initiative launched in 2024, which required targeted
amendments to the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking Regulation Nr 2021/1173,
amended by the Regulation (EU) 2024/1732, has been a huge success,
demonstrating the strong commitment and support of Member States. Several
key lessons learned can be leveraged to ensure continued progress and impact:
– Reinforce the strategic significance of AI Gigafactories by highlighting their
potential to drive EU-wide innovation, as demonstrated by the AI Factories
initiative.
– Build on the strong commitment and support from Member States, as seen in
the AI Factories initiative, to ensure success in the AI Gigafactories initiative.
– Utilise the momentum from the AI Factories to attract and secure significant
funding, engaging public and private sectors.
EN 7 EN
– Capitalise on the interest from technology firms, data centre integrators, energy
providers, and major investment funds to integrate public-private partnerships,
boosting resources and innovation.
Drawing on lessons from past EuroHPC JU and Quantum integration, several key
takeaways can guide the successful implementation of the AI Gigafactories and
Quantum Technologies framework:
– Avoid fragmentation by establishing a coherent governance and investment
structure that enables coordinated action between the EU and Member States,
ensuring a unified approach to quantum-HPC development.
– Facilitate joint procurement mechanisms to pool resources and accelerate the
deployment of world-class quantum infrastructure, while maximising
efficiency and return on investment across Europe.
– Incentivise the uptake of EU-developed quantum technologies by aligning
industrial policy tools, legal frameworks, and funding instruments to create a
favourable environment for domestic innovation, scaling, and market adoption.
– Support the development of a secure and competitive European quantum-HPC
ecosystem through strategic coordination across research, infrastructure, and
industrial actors, ensuring long-term resilience and technological sovereignty.
1.5.4. Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with
other appropriate instruments
There are clear complementarities and synergies with Horizon Europe clusters and
missions, including synergies with big data, robotics, and AI, as well as the Chips
Joint Undertaking, which together support Europe’s technological sovereignty.
EuroHPC JU also supports cross-cutting initiatives such as e-Health and the Digital
Twin of the Human Body, where advanced computing power is essential.
In parallel, links with the Destination Earth (DestinE), and synergies in the Digital
Europe Programme (DEP) – particularly in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, and
advanced digital skills – further reinforce the added value of EuroHPC’s integrated
role.
The use of AI Gigafactories for developing AI for space and dual-use applications
and the dual use character of quantum technologies means that respective
breakthroughs can also benefit strategic European space, security and defence
applications that are under development by the different European and national
space, security and defence programmes.
Through coordinated implementation and alignment with these initiatives and
programmes, the enhanced EuroHPC Joint Undertaking can play a central role in
amplifying Europe's digital capabilities, ensuring coherence, impact, and
sustainability across the EU’s research and innovation landscape.
1.5.5. Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for
redeployment
The management of the action areas proposed for EuroHPC Joint Undertaking aligns
well with its existing mandate and operational scope. While these areas may require
specific expertise or new assignments, the Joint Undertaking has the capacity to
absorb them through efficient reallocation of resources and strategic alignment of
ongoing activities. The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking is already effectively
EN 8 EN
implementing the European HPC strategy, including the deployment of high-
performance and quantum computing and AI infrastructures (such as AI Factories),
R&D initiatives, and connectivity-related actions. Its strong performance in these
areas has delivered valuable insights, which have directly informed the preparation
of this Regulation. This track record demonstrates that the EuroHPC Joint
Undertaking is well positioned to take on an expanded role in support of Europe's AI
Gigafactories and quantum technology ambitions.
1.6. Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact
limited duration
–  in effect from 01/01/2021 to 31/12/2033
–  financial impact from 2021 to 2027 for commitment appropriations and from
2021 to 2033 for payment appropriations.
 unlimited duration
– Implementation with a start-up period from YYYY to YYYY,
– followed by full-scale operation.
1.7. Method(s) of budget implementation planned13
 Direct management by the Commission
–  by its departments, including by its staff in the Union delegations;
–  by the executive agencies
 Shared management with the Member States
 Indirect management by entrusting budget implementation tasks to:
–  third countries or the bodies they have designated
–  international organisations and their agencies (to be specified)
–  the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund
–  bodies referred to in Articles 70 and 71 of the Financial Regulation
–  public law bodies
–  bodies governed by private law with a public service mission to the extent that
they are provided with adequate financial guarantees
–  bodies governed by the private law of a Member State that are entrusted with
the implementation of a public-private partnership and that are provided with
adequate financial guarantees
–  bodies or persons entrusted with the implementation of specific actions in the
common foreign and security policy pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on
European Union, and identified in the relevant basic act
– bodies established in a Member State, governed by the private law of a
Member State or Union law and eligible to be entrusted, in accordance with
13
Details of budget implementation methods and references to the Financial Regulation may be found on
the BUDGpedia site: https://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/corp/budget/financial-rules/budget-
implementation/Pages/implementation-methods.aspx.
EN 9 EN
sector-specific rules, with the implementation of Union funds or budgetary
guarantees, to the extent that such bodies are controlled by public law bodies or
by bodies governed by private law with a public service mission, and are provided
with adequate financial guarantees in the form of joint and several liability by the
controlling bodies or equivalent financial guarantees and which may be, for each
action, limited to the maximum amount of the Union support.
Comments
N/A
EN 10 EN
2. MANAGEMENT MEASURES
2.1. Monitoring and reporting rules
The activities of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking are subject to continuous
monitoring and periodic reviews in accordance with its financial rules, to ensure both
the highest impact and excellence, as well as the most efficient use of resources. The
outcomes of monitoring and periodic reviews shall feed into the evaluations of the
Joint Undertaking as part of Horizon Europe evaluations as specified in Article 47 of
Regulation establishing Horizon Europe.
In addition, the Commission will undertake a final evaluation with the assistance of
independent experts to examine how the Joint Undertaking fulfils its mission
according to its economic, technological, scientific, societal and policy objectives,
and evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, and Union added
value of its activities as part of Horizon Europe. The evaluation will assess its
synergies and complementarities with relevant European, national and, where
relevant, regional initiatives, including synergies with other parts of Horizon Europe
(such as missions, clusters or thematic/specific programmes). Impacts achieved at
Union and national level, taking into account the component of synergies and policy
retrofitting will be given particular attention.
2.2. Management and control system(s)
2.2.1. Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation
mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed
The Commission's internal auditor shall exercise the same powers over the Joint
Undertaking as those exercised in respect of the Commission. Moreover, the
Governing Board may arrange, as appropriate, for the establishment of an internal
audit capability of the Joint Undertaking.
In compliance with Article 157 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2024/2509, the
Joint Undertaking will respect the principles of sound financial management,
transparency and non-discrimination and will guarantee a level of protection of the
financial interests of its members equivalent to that required under that Regulation.
Ex-post audits of expenditure on indirect actions will be carried out in compliance
with the Horizon Europe, Digital Europe and Connecting Europe Framework
Programme.
In order to protect the financial interests of the Union, the Commission will in
compliance with the Financial Regulation supervise the activities of the EuroHPC
Joint Undertaking, in particular by carrying out audits and evaluations on the
programme implementation, apply procedures for the examination and acceptance of
the accounts and exclude from Union financing expenditure disbursements which
have been made in breach of the applicable rules. It may also suspend and interrupt
payments if it detects financial or administrative irregularities.
2.2.2. Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up
to mitigate them
The main risks identified so far are i) the low contribution of Participating States to
the budget, ii) in-kind contribution by private members (IKOP) to meet their
minimum contribution target.
EN 11 EN
i) In 2024, EuroHPC Joint Undertaking significantly improved the execution of its
administrative budget, reaching 95% in commitments and 80% in payments—an
improvement expected to address past audit findings. While operational payments
also increased substantially (from 19% to 59%), commitment execution declined
(from 83% to 72%), meaning audit concerns may persist for the operational budget.
This was mainly due to the impact of the amended Regulation (EU) 2024/1732,
which required a reprioritisation of the 2024 Work Programme to accommodate the
new AI initiative. As a result, funding sources were reassessed, unused credits
reallocated, and some planned activities postponed to 2025–2027.
ii) The European Court of Auditors (ECA) continues to reference the European
Parliament's concerns about consistently lower-than-targeted IKOP contributions.
Due to the 50/50 co-funding requirement between EU and national public funds – not
private members – the current IKOP model cannot realistically meet the EUR 900
million target set in the 2021 Regulation. As a result, both the Parliament and ECA
have called on the Commission to reassess the feasibility of these targets. While this
structural funding issue is beyond the Joint Undertaking’s mandate, the Joint
Undertaking remains committed to supporting the Commission and has engaged an
external consultant to improve IKOP monitoring and reporting within existing
constraints.
It is to be noted that the large private investments expected to take place for the
deployment of AI Gigafactories (of the order of several billions of Euros) will
drastically improve the current IKOP model and are expected to overcome by far the
set target of EUR 900 million. To a large extent, the same private investment logic
will apply to the further development of quantum technologes under the Joint
Undertaking’s responsibility.
2.2.3. Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio between
the control costs and the value of the related funds managed), and assessment of the
expected levels of risk of error (at payment & at closure)
As part of the Joint Undertakings created under Horizon Europe, the EuroHPC Joint
Undertaking will be part of the audit strategy of the Commission. In particular, the
indirect actions implemented by the Joint Undertaking will be monitored by the CIC
to ensure an error rate at the same level as the other actions funded under Horizon
Europe.
2.3. Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities
The Commission or its representatives and the Court of Auditors have the power of
audit, on the basis of documents and on-the-spot, over all grant beneficiaries,
contractors and subcontractors who receive EU funds. The EuroHPC has been
subject of regular ECA audits
The European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Public Prosecutor's
Office (EPPO) may also carry out investigations, including on-the-spot checks and
inspections in accordance with the provisions and procedures laid down in Council
Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/9614
and Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 883/2013
14
Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks
and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the European Communities’ financial
interests against fraud and other irregularities (OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2).
EN 12 EN
of the European Parliament and of the Council15
, with a view to establishing whether
there has been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial
interests of the European Union in connection with a grant agreement or a contract
concerning EU funding.
Without prejudice to the above, grant agreements and contracts resulting from the
implementation of this Regulation shall expressly empower the Commission, the
Court of Auditors and OLAF to conduct such audits, on-the-spot checks and
inspections.
15
Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11
September 2013 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and
repealing Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council
Regulation (Euratom) No 1074/1999 (OJ L 248, 18.9.2013, p. 1).
EN 13 EN
3. ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE
3.1. Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget
line(s) affected
• Existing budget lines
In order of multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines.
Heading of
multiannual
financial
framework
Budget line
Type of
expenditure
Contribution
Heading 1
Single Market, Innovation and Digital
Diff./Non-
diff.16
from
EFTA
countries
17
from
candidate
countries
and
potential
candidates
18
From
other
third
countries
other assigned
revenue
01 02 02 42 01 – HE - Cluster Digital,
Industry and Space — High-Performance
Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC)
Support expenditure
Diff. YES YES YES YES
01 02 02 42 02 – HE - Cluster Digital,
Industry and Space — High-Performance
Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC)
Operational expenditure Diff. YES YES YES YES
02 04 02 11 01 – DEP - High-
Performance Computing Joint
Undertaking (EuroHPC) Support
expenditure Diff. YES YES YES YES
02 04 02 11 02 – DEP - High-Performance
Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC)
Support expenditure Diff. YES YES YES YES
02 03 03 – CEF Digital Diff. NO YES YES YES
16
Diff. = Differentiated appropriations / Non-diff. = Non-differentiated appropriations.
17
EFTA: European Free Trade Association.
18
Candidate countries and, where applicable, potential candidates from the Western Balkans.
EN 14 EN
3.2. Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations
3.2.1. Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations
–  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of operational appropriations
– The proposal/initiative requires the use of operational appropriations, as explained below
3.2.1.1. Appropriations from voted budget and including EFTA appropriations
EUR million (to three decimal places)
Heading of multiannual financial framework 1 1 - Single Market, Innovation and Digital
The proposal will not increase the total level of expenditure programmed under Heading 1 of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027.
Indeed, the additional Union contribution, including EFTA to the EuroHPC JU will be pooled from the Horizon Europe Programme, the Digital
Europe Programme and the Connecting Europe Facility - Digital Programme (CEF – Digital).
This additional contribution will be financed by:
i. an internal redeployment of the current envelope of the Digital Europe Programme,
ii. an internal redeployment of the current envelope of the Horizon Europe Programme,
iii. an internal redeployment of the current envelope of the Connecting Europe Facility – Digital Programme,
The summary tables below provides a full overview of all sources of funding.
EUR million (to three decimal places)
Operational appropriations reallocated
within Digital Europe
2025 2026 2027 TOTAL
02 04 01 11 - Digital Europe programme –
Cybersecurity Competenc Centre
Commitments (1a) 15,000 16,000 31,000
TOTAL appropriations reallocated
within Digital Europe
Commitments =1a 15,000 16,000 31,000
EN 15 EN
Operational appropriations reallocated
within CEF – Digital
2025 2026 2027 TOTAL
02 03 03 01 – CEF Digital Commitments (1a) 100,000 100,000
TOTAL appropriations reallocated
within CEF- Digital
Commitments =1a 100,000 100,000
Operational appropriations reallocated
within Horizon Europe
2025 2026 2027 TOTAL
01 02 01 03 – Research Infrastructures
Commitments (1a)
100,000 100,000
01 02 02 10 – Cluster Health
Commitments (1a)
19,685 24,029 43,714
01 02 02 11.02 - Innovative Health Initiative
Joint Undertaking - operational budget
Commitments (1a)
6,145 4,194 10,339
01 02 02 12.02-Global Health EDCTP3 Joint
Undertaking - operational budget
Commitments (1a)
4,538 2,275 6,813
01 02 02 20- Cluster Culture, Creativity and
Inclusive Society
Commitments (1a)
10,276 9,823 20,099
01 02 02 30-Cluster Civil Security for Society
Commitments (1a)
23,758 3,452 27,210
01 02 02 40 - Cluster Digital, Industry and
Space
Commitments (1a)
282,614 22,457 305,071
01 02 02 42.02 - CHIPS Joint Undertaking
Commitments (1a)
10,494 9,997 20,490
01 02 02 43.02 -Smart Networks and Services
Joint Undertaking - operational budget
Commitments (1a)
3,950 3,868 7,818
EN 16 EN
01 02 02 50-Cluster Climate, Energy and
Mobility
Commitments (1a)
53,784 46,433 100,217
01 02 02 51.02- Single European Sky ATM
Research 3 Joint Undertaking – operational
budget
Commitments (1a)
2,842 3,136 5,978
01 02 02 52.02-Clean Aviation Joint
Undertaking - operational budget
Commitments (1a)
3,853 11,773 15,626
01 02 02 53.02-Europe’s Rail Joint
Undertaking - operational budget
Commitments (1a)
2,404 1,728 4,131
01 02 02 54.02-Clean Hydrogen Joint
Undertaking - operational budget
Commitments (1a)
4,016 4,561 8,578
01 02 02 60- Cluster Food, Bioeconomy,
Natural Resources, Agriculture and
Environment
Commitments (1a)
37,152 37,478 74,629
01.020261.02-Circular Bio-based Europe Joint
Undertaking - operational budget
Commitments
(1a)
4,488 4,797 9,286
TOTAL appropriations reallocated
within Horizon Europe
Commitments =1a 570,000 190,000 760,000
EN 17 EN
====================================================================================================
EU contribution to the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking
EUR million (to three decimal places)
Joint Undertaking 2025 2026 2027 Post 2027 TOTAL
Title 3 Commitments (3a) 115,000 586,000 190,000 891,000
Payments (3b) 210,000 681,000 891,000
TOTAL additional appropriations for
Joint Undertaking
Commitments
=1+1
a +3a 115,000 586,000 190,000 891,000
Payments
=2+2
a+3b 210,000 681,000 891,000
EUR million (to three decimal places)
Joint Undertaking 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
Post
2027 TOTAL
Human Resources[1]
- 1,486 4,721 6,695 6,829 6,966 42,425 69,122
Other administrative expenditure - 2,031 1,713 1,747 1,782 1,818 13,786 22,878
TOTAL DG Appropriations 3,517 6,434 8,443 8,612 8,784 56,211 92,000
[1]
Covering the administration of HE and DEP actions. The FTE costs are determined on the basis of the average yearly cost of TA (EUR 152 000) and CA (EUR 82
000) staff.
EN 18 EN
Heading of multiannual financial framework 7 ‘Administrative expenditure’19
§EUR million (to three decimal places)
DG CNECT 10 FTE STATUTORY AD, 2 FTE AC) 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 Post 2027 TOTAL
Human resources [1] 0,772 0,787 0,803 0,819 0,836 2,082 2,082 6,246 14,427
Other administrative expenditure p.m p.m p.m p.m p.m p.m p.m p.m p.m
TOTAL appropriations under
HEADING 7
of the multiannual financial
framework
(Total
commitments =
Total payments)
0,772 0,787 0,803 0,819 0,836 2,082 2,082 6,246 14,427
3.2.2. Estimated output funded from operational appropriations (not to be completed for decentralised agencies)
Commitment appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places)
Indicate
objectives and
outputs

Year
2024
Year
2025
Year
2026
Year
2027
Enter as many years as necessary to show the
duration of the impact (see Section1.6)
TOTAL
OUTPUTS
Type20 Avera
ge
cost
No
Cost
No
Cost
No
Cost
No
Cost
No
Cost
No
Cost
No
Cost
Total
No
Total
cost
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE No 121
…
19
The necessary appropriations should be determined using the annual average cost figures available on the appropriate BUDGpedia webpage.
20
Outputs are products and services to be supplied (e.g. number of student exchanges financed, number of km of roads built, etc.).
21
As described in Section 1.3.2. ‘Specific objective(s)’
EN 19 EN
- Output
- Output
- Output
Subtotal for specific objective No 1
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE No 2 ...
- Output
Subtotal for specific objective No 2
TOTALS
EN 20 EN
3.2.3. Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations
–  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of additional appropriations of
an administrative nature
–  The proposal/initiative requires the use of appropriations of an administrative
nature, as explained below
3.2.3.1. Appropriations from voted budget
VOTED APPROPRIATIONS
Year Year Year Year TOTAL
2021 - 2027
2024 2025 2026 2027
HEADING 7
Human resources 0.819 0.836 2.082 2.082 5.819
Other administrative expenditure 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Subtotal HEADING 7 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Outside HEADING 7
Human resources 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Other expenditure of an administrative nature 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Subtotal outside HEADING 7 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
TOTAL 0.819 0.836 2.082 2.082 5.819
The appropriations required for human resources and other expenditure of an administrative nature
will be met by appropriations from the DG that are already assigned to management of the action
and/or have been redeployed within the DG, together, if necessary, with any additional allocation
which may be granted to the managing DG under the annual allocation procedure and in the light of
budgetary constraints.
3.2.4. Estimated requirements of human resources
–  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human resources
–  The proposal/initiative requires the use of human resources, as explained
below
EN 21 EN
3.2.4.1. Estimated impact on Commission human resources - Financed from voted budget
Estimate expressed in full-time equivalent units (FTEs)22
VOTED APPROPRIATIONS
Year Year Year Year
2024 2025 2026 2027
 Establishment plan posts (officials and temporary staff)
20 01 02 01 (Headquarters and Commission’s Representation Offices) 4 4 10 10
20 01 02 03 (EU Delegations) 0 0 0 0
01 01 01 01 (Indirect research) 0 0 0 0
01 01 01 11 (Direct research) 0 0 0 0
Other budget lines (specify) 0 0 0 0
• External staff (inFTEs)
20 02 01 (AC, END from the ‘global envelope’) 2 2 2 2
20 02 03 (AC, AL, END and JPD in the EU Delegations) 0 0 0 0
Admin. Support
line
[XX.01.YY.YY]
- at Headquarters 0 0 0 0
- in EU Delegations 0 0 0 0
01 01 01 02 (AC, END - Indirect research) 0 0 0 0
01 01 01 12 (AC, END - Direct research) 0 0 0 0
Other budget lines (specify) - Heading 7 0 0 0 0
Other budget lines (specify) - Outside Heading 7 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 6 6 12 12
Considering the overall strained situation in Heading 7, in terms of both staffing and the level
of appropriations, the human resources required will be met by staff from the DG who are
already assigned to the management of the action and/or have been redeployed within the DG
or other Commission services.
22
Please specify below the table how many FTEs within the number indicated are already assigned to the
management of the action and/or can be redeployed within your DG and what are your net needs.
EN 22 EN
The staff required to implement the proposal (in FTEs):
To be covered by
current staff
available in the
Commission
services
Exceptional additional staff*
To be financed under
Heading 7 or
Research
To be financed
from BA line
To be financed
from fees
Establishment
plan posts
10 N/A
External staff
(CA, SNEs, INT)
2
Description of tasks to be carried out by:
Officials and temporary staff
External staff
3.2.4.2. Estimated impact on JU’s human resources - Financed from voted budget
There is no additional requirements in terms of human resources in the JU. Below it is
included only for reference the requirements in human resources mentioned in the previous
LFS.
Year
2025
Year
2026
Year
2027
Post 2027 TOTAL
Officials (AD
Grades)
Officials
(AST
grades)
Contract
staff
27 27 27 27 27
Temporary
staff 27 27 27 27 27
Seconded
National
Experts
TOTAL 54 54 54 54 54
Year
2025
Year
2026
Year
2027
Post 2027 TOTAL
Officials (AD
Grades)
Officials
(AST
EN 23 EN
grades)
Contract
staff
2,303 2,350 2,397 24,914 36,129
Temporary
staff
4,744 4,839 4,936 10,678 34,358
Seconded
National
Experts
TOTAL 7,048 7,189 7,332 35,592 70,487
3.2.5. Overview of estimated impact on digital technology-related investments
Compulsory: the best estimate of the digital technology-related investments entailed
by the proposal/initiative should be included in the table below.
Exceptionally, when required for the implementation of the proposal/initiative, the
appropriations under Heading 7 should be presented in the designated line.
The appropriations under Headings 1-6 should be reflected as “Policy IT expenditure
on operational programmes”. This expenditure refers to the operational budget to be
used to re-use/ buy/ develop IT platforms/ tools directly linked to the implementation
of the initiative and their associated investments (e.g. licences, studies, data storage
etc). The information provided in this table should be consistent with details
presented under Section 4 “Digital dimensions”.
TOTAL Digital and IT appropriations
Year Year Year Year TOTAL
MFF
2021 -
2027
2024 2025 2026 2027
HEADING 7
IT expenditure (corporate) 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Subtotal HEADING 7 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Outside HEADING 7
Policy IT expenditure on operational
programmes
0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Subtotal outside HEADING 7 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
TOTAL 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
EN 24 EN
3.2.6. Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework
The proposal/initiative:
–  can be fully financed through redeployment within the relevant heading of the
Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
EUR million (to three decimal places)
From line
Amount
(EUR
million)
To Line
01 02 01 03 Research infrastructures 100,000 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 10 Cluster Health 43,714 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 11.02 Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking - operational
budget
10,339 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 12.02 Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking - operational budget
6,813 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 20 Cluster Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
20,099 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 30 Cluster Civil Security for Society
27,210 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 40 Cluster Digital, Industry and Space
305,071 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 42.02 CHIPS Joint Undertaking
20,491 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 43.02 Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking - operational
budget
7,818 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 50 Cluster Climate, Energy and Mobility
100,217 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 51.02 Single European Sky ATM Research 3 Joint Undertaking -
operational budget
5,978 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 52.02 Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking - operational budget
15,626 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 53.02 Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking - operational budget
4,131 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 54.02 Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking - operational budget
8,578 01 02 02 41
01 02 02 60 Cluster Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture
and Environment
74,629 01 02 02 41
01.020261.02 Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking - operational
budget
9,286 01 02 02 41
Subtotal HE Horizon Europe Programme 760,000
02 03 03 01 Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) — Digital 100,000 02 03 03 02
Subtotal CEF Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) 100,000
02 04 01 11
Digital Europe programme - European Cybersecurity
Competence Centre
31,000 02 04 02 11
Subtotal DEP Digital Europe programme 31,000
Total 891,000
3.2.7. Third-party contributions
The proposal/initiative:
–  does not provide for co-financing by third parties
–  provides for the co-financing by third parties estimated below:
Participating States are expected to contribute an amount that is at least matching the Union
contribution referred to in Article 5(1), first sub-paragraph.
EN 25 EN
3.3. Estimated impact on revenue
– The proposal/initiative has no financial impact on revenue.
–  The proposal/initiative has the following financial impact:
–  on own resources
–  on other revenue
–  please indicate, if the revenue is assigned to expenditure lines
EUR million (to three decimal places)
Budget revenue line:
Appropriations
available for the
current financial
year
Impact of the proposal/initiative23
Year 2024 Year 2025 Year 2026 Year 2027
Article ………….
For assigned revenue, specify the budget expenditure line(s) affected.
Other remarks (e.g. method/formula used for calculating the impact on revenue or
any other information).
4. DIGITAL DIMENSIONS
N/A
4.1. Requirements of digital relevance
N/A
4.2. Data
N/A
4.3. Digital solutions
4.4. Interoperability assessment
23
As regards traditional own resources (customs duties, sugar levies), the amounts indicated must be net
amounts, i.e. gross amounts after deduction of 20% for collection costs.
N/A
N/A
EN 26 EN
4.5. Measures to support digital implementation
N/A