# The EU is ready to bet billions on data centers. Not all countries want in.

> Source: <https://www.politico.eu/article/ai-race-splits-europe-into-spenders-and-laggards-eu-gigafactory/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication>
> Published: 2026-09-02 04:00:00+00:00

BRUSSELS — The global frenzy to build massive AI data centers is coming to Europe. Just not all of Europe.

Two-thirds of European Union governments have pledged money to back an EU plan to create seven large AI compute hubs, the bloc's most significant industrial policy push in the global race for artificial intelligence infrastructure. But nine countries have refrained from committing funds at a time when national budgets are already stretched.

The United States has so far led the global race to provide enough compute power to feed the artificial intelligence boom, with tech giants like OpenAI, Anthropic and Elon Musk's xAI putting in private investment through projects like Stargate and Colossus, and building out their lead in expanding data centers.