At the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit held in Paris, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union will invest €200 billion (approximately $206 billion) to promote the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, aiming to compete with the United States and China in this field. This investment will include €5 billion (approximately $5.1 billion) in new funding, supplementing the €150 billion (approximately $154 billion) previously provided by the European AI Champions Initiative.
Image Source Note: Image generated by AI, licensed by Midjourney
Von der Leyen stated, “We want Europe to be the leading continent in global artificial intelligence, which means we must embrace a way of life where AI is everywhere.” She further pointed out that although Europe is often perceived as lagging behind the United States and China in this race, she believes that the competition in AI is far from over.
This €200 billion investment, referred to as the “InvestAI Plan,” aims to help establish “gigafactories” in Europe to train complex AI models. This announcement coincides with French President Macron's statement on Monday that France will invest €109 billion (approximately $112 billion) in AI development, comparing it to President Trump's $500 billion “Interstellar Gateway” AI data center project.
The funding is intended to help the EU catch up with China and the US in building advanced AI infrastructure, particularly in the development of popular chatbot models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek. The EU is the first region in the world to introduce comprehensive AI regulations, having launched the AI Act last year.
However, US Vice President JD Vance criticized the EU's regulatory environment at the summit, calling it “authoritarian censorship,” and warned that “overregulation of the AI industry could stifle this transformative sector.” It is worth noting that the US and the UK did not sign the statement from the Paris AI Summit, which committed to ensuring that AI technology is “open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, secure, and reliable.”
Von der Leyen emphasized, “AI will improve our healthcare, boost our research and innovation, and enhance our competitiveness. We want AI to be a force for development and positive change.” She noted that the EU will promote the advancement of AI through its unique approach — based on the principles of openness, collaboration, and the development of talent.
Key Points:
🌍 The EU will invest €200 billion to enhance its competitiveness in the field of AI.
🏭 The investment plan includes €5 billion in new funding aimed at building gigafactories to train complex AI models.
📜 The US Vice President criticized the EU's regulatory policies, stating they could negatively impact the AI industry.
