The Barcelona Supercomputing Center to become one of the EU’s AI factories

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) will host one of seven European AI factories aimed at fostering development within the business ecosystem. This infrastructure will provide powerful computational resources and R&D services to companies, start-ups, SMEs and scientists, accelerating the development of AI applications aligned with European values.

To support this initiative, the BSC will receive an investment of approximately €200 million to establish one of the first seven AI factories in Europe. This initiative will position the BSC as a hub for AI development, enabling both public and private sectors to drive high-impact R&D projects in science and technology.

The project is part of the European Union’s recent measures to establish Europe as a global leader in AI. In this context, the Barcelona AI Factory will integrate advanced technological resources, data and specialised talent to democratise access to AI resources for sectors with limited means and to foster innovation in areas such as biomedicine, climatology and chip design.

With an initial investment of €580 million from the European Commission for the EuroHPC JU high-performance supercomputing network, member states are called upon to contribute to these strategic projects. In Barcelona, the AI Factory will not only enhance the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer but will also attract European talent, promoting an experimental supercomputing infrastructure specifically designed for AI.