Estonia plans to buy up to €20 million in AI computing services as part of a major EU effort to build a new generation of AI infrastructure.
The purchase is part of a joint procurement launched by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), which aims to create up to seven AI gigafactories across Europe, the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs said.
The €10 billion procurement involves 18 EU member states and the European Commission, which will jointly secure access to high-performance computing capacity for companies, researchers and public-sector users.
Estonian companies, technology firms and research institutions can participate by forming consortia with businesses, public institutions, investors and other partners. Successful bidders will provide AI computing services through new gigafactory infrastructure.
The facilities do not need to be located in a single country and may operate as cross-border, distributed networks.
The Estonian state plans to purchase services worth up to €20 million between 2028 and 2032 from a consortium that establishes an AI data center branch in Estonia.
Bids are due this November, with contracts expected in early 2027. The first AI data centers are expected to begin operations within 18 months of signing.
The European Commission says the initiative aims to strengthen Europe's technological independence and provide computing power needed for AI development, including training large language models (LLMs).
-- Editor: Mari Peegel, Aili Vahtla