Apply AI Strategy
STRATEGY2025-10-08
- establish European AI-powered advanced screening centres to accelerate the introduction of innovative tools for prevention and diagnosis making in healthcare facilities and bringing healthcare services to underserved areas. The initiative aims to improve early detection and ensure timely diagnosis, in particular for cardiovascular diseases and cancer. It will pursue an approach to ensure that AI-powered screening and diagnosis take into account gender-specific factors. By deploying AI solutions, these centres will support real-world clinical validation and local performance testing and generate evidence for clinical adoption. The network of these AI-powered centres will facilitate access to high-quality datasets building on the European Health Data Space as well as the European digital infrastructures for the cancer imaging and genomic data, and support testing and validation of promising AI models including for personalised prevention. This will build on the relevant actions under the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, Life Sciences Strategy and the forthcoming EU Cardiovascular Health Plan.
- establish a European Network of Expertise on AI Deployment in Healthcare to consolidate guidelines and best practices. It will deliver deployment playbooks, guidelines including on local validation (performance in clinical practice) and post-deployment monitoring, design principles and set the foundations for exchanging best practices on AI deployment in healthcare.
- launch an AI drug discovery challenge for potential new drugs that could be used to address unmet medical needs and treat diseases that have proven difficult to cure, such as Alzheimer’s disease or certain cancers. The winner of the challenge would receive dedicated access to AI Factories compute capacity and on advice how to bring their discoveries to the market.
- propose appropriate actions to streamline and enable quicker market entry of medical devices without compromising safety.
- establish a Catalyst for the uptake of European Robotics, bringing together developers and user industries to accelerate the development and uptake of European solutions replying to market needs. This will be done in collaboration with the AI Data and Robotics Association. In this context, the Commission will fund the development of sectoral Acceleration Pipelines for the adoption of AI-powered robotics, focussing on high-impact use-cases, prioritised in close collaboration with end-user industries, ensuring that innovation aligns with real-world needs.
- support the development of frontier AI model and AI agents adapted to manufacturing. Building on the Data Spaces for Manufacturing24 and the forthcoming Data Union Strategy, the Commission will facilitate data pooling across industrial actors through trusted third parties, to ensure a sufficient volume of training data, while preserving intellectual property and data security and making use, as relevant, of the data labs in AI Factories.
- fund the development of Acceleration Pipelines for the adoption of AI in manufacturing, bridging the gap between research labs and deployment more effectively. These projects will accelerate the development of AI-powered manufacturing solutions that address industry needs, by providing continuous support, ensuring that these solutions progress from the lab to a high level of maturity suitable for real-world applications.
- accelerate the development and deployment European AI-enabled situational awareness and C2 (Command & Control) capacities through the European Defence Fund (EDF), while also incentivising dual use open architecture solutions for border security and critical infrastructure protection, ensuring interoperability in support of defence flagships, including Eastern Flank Watch and the Drone Wall, especially for the integration of autonomous features in different solutions.
- deploy a strategic and dedicated European infrastructure of highly secured computing power capacities (e.g. AI factory/gigafactory) for training of defence and space AI models and development of AI defence and space applications.
- support AI compliance of EU space manufacturing and operations, including for in-orbit and ground infrastructure, through advanced manufacturing, robotics, dedicated edge/on-orbit computing, space-based data networks, signal processing equipment, command and control systems.
- foster the development and uptake of AI solutions29 for internal security purposes, including by supporting applied research and innovation and stimulating the placing on the market of AI solutions tailored for use in internal security.
- fund projects to develop and deploy Cybersecurity tools, technologies and services relying on AI addressing threat detection, vulnerability detection, threat mitigation, incident recovery through self-healing, data analysis and data sharing.
- support interoperability and trusted integration of AI into cybersecurity architectures, infrastructures and threat surveillance, including Cyber Hubs and the upcoming Cable Security Hubs, as well as for dual-use and defence-relevant digital environments,
- leverage AI factories and gigafactories to fast track the development of innovative AI models and common software platforms for automated driving and vehicle management systems under the European Connected and Autonomous Alliance.
- launch an “Autonomous Drive Ambition Cities” initiative to accelerate the deployment of operational services working with European providers as part of the large-scale cross-border testbeds announced in the Automotive Action Plan. Building on recommendations issued by the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance33, it will focus on AI-enabled self-driving vehicles (robot vehicles) and autonomous point-to-point commuting in cities, establishing operational joint ventures and leveraging the ready to use AI Act’s innovation measures on regulatory sandboxes and real-world testing.
- promote EU capacities in edge AI devices by providing dedicated support under the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking and the Chips Joint Undertaking.
- create a European Telco AI platform (AI stack pilot action under the Digital Europe Programme) for telecom operators, vendors and user industries to collaboratively36 build AI stack elements, including mediation layers, data engineering, cloud interfaces, and AI services, potentially based on open source.
- support the development of AI models that advance forecasting, optimisation, digital twins, and system balancing within the energy system. These activities shall be supported by leveraging cloud-edge-IoT infrastructure, software and AI tools to serve as a digital backbone across all assets of the energy system ensuring secure, efficient, and reliable data sharing across the energy ecosystem.
- deploy an open-source AI Earth-system frontier model and related AI-powered applications and services that allow for better weather forecasts, Earth monitoring, and “what-if” scenarios, as next step of Destination Earth. It will be fully trained in EU AI Factories and will follow a multidisciplinary approach integrating different expertise. Through this model, the Commission will make available to local authorities and relevant actors AI-based local digital twins (integrating EU-owned Copernicus43 data) that helps predict risks and reduce impacts of climate change through better preparedness and resilient urban and rural planning44, as well as services for improved disaster management and crisis relief.
- foster the creation of a Agri-food AI platform that will facilitate the uptake of specialised farming AI-enabled tools and applications. The platform will facilitate application discovery and integration, increase trust among farmers in AI-enabled applications and promote open source development
- foster the development of micro-studios across the EU specialised in AI-enhanced virtual production. In addition, the Commission will support investments in the development and deployment of European AI models focusing on interactive and immersive storytelling, including media, and on the discoverability of online European music and literary content.
- help the development of pan-European platforms using multilingual AI technologies to make available real time news and information from professional media outlets across the EU to wider audiences. AI will be harnessed to translate content for relevant channels
- including broadcasting
- through classification, recognition, linguistic analysis and translation of content.
- launch a targeted study to explore the legal challenges related to AI-generated outputs and how cutting-edge technological safeguards and technologies, including AI, could be used to prevent and mitigate the risks of copyright infringing AI content being generated, including by detecting and removing such content.
- build an AI toolbox dedicated to public administrations (including judiciary) featuring a shared repository of practical, open-source and reusable tools and solutions to support AI interoperability. This toolbox will also include the AI solutions foreseen in the Roadmap for effective and lawful access to data for law enforcement. On top of that, Public Sector AI & Interoperability Readiness Pathway (PAIR Pathway) will be launched to provide practical step-by-step examples within a user journey that will help administrations develop services tailored to their specific needs.
- accelerate the adoption of European scalable and replicable generative AI solutions in public administrations62 with a special focus on education, taking into account the potential risks in this area. This will include the creation of a comprehensive technical and policy toolkit to support the development of generative and agentic AI solutions. This action will improve the quality of services provided to citizens.
- revise the European Interoperability Framework to incorporate guidance that enables AI first policies within European public administrations.
- launch a call for expression of interest inviting European companies to share their AI models and systems with the network of EDIHs, which can subsequently promote their wide-scale deployment across European strategic sectors.
- provide access to practical AI literacy trainings tailored to sectors and job profiles through the AI Skills Academy72, which, in addition to its own offering, will aggregate trainings provided by other EU instruments. The trainings should preferably lead to micro-credentials.
- encourage the involvement of industry in AI upskilling and reskilling, including via the Pact for Skills74, and provide access to additional training opportunities to workers in sectors undergoing restructuring or at risk of displacement, including due to AI, via the Skills Guarantee, announced in the Union of Skills
- fund “AI for business” (executive master) programmes developing hybrid profiles, such as AI engineers76 with industry-specific expertise via the Digital Europe Programme and potential support of Erasmus+.
- establish an “AI entrepreneurs lab” that, building on existing initiatives (e.g. from EIT and European universities alliances), brings together brilliant AI graduates with entrepreneurial mentors from existing AI companies looking to expand their models or pave the way for future partnerships.
- launch and coordinate a Frontier AI Initiative to accelerate progress in frontier AI capabilities in Europe by bringing together Europe’s leading industrial and academic actors and supporting strategic efforts. This initiative will focus on unlocking advanced capabilities through cutting-edge AI architectures and high-quality data, leveraging the computing capacity offered by the AI Factories and Gigafactories. To foster the collaboration, the community will be brought together through a call for expressions of interest. The initiative will address ecosystem bottlenecks and downstream demand by Europe’s industry enhancing both competitiveness and sovereignty in frontier AI development. As part of this initiative the Commission will launch major EU-wide competitions to develop open frontier AI models that are major drivers of innovation. These projects will receive free access to EuroHPC supercomputers, and their open models will be made widely available to public authorities across Europe as well as to the European scientific and business communities.
- guidelines on the classification of AI systems as high-risk.
- guidelines on the AI Act’s interplay with other Union law, covering relevant sectoral legislation (e.g. transport, machinery, radio equipment).
- turn the existing AI Alliance into a coordination forum for Apply AI stakeholders and policy makers. By joining the “Apply AI Alliance”, stakeholders will be able to publicly express their interest in participating in sectoral workflows, gaining direct access to policy makers to discuss impact, barriers and opportunities of specific sectoral AI solutions. Serving as an entry point, the Alliance will work closely and complementarily with the other consultative initiatives on AI (including sectoral, regulatory and research and innovation ones), connecting stakeholders to relevant discussions87. It will enable networking among peers and between providers and users of AI solutions
- for example, linking a developer of compliance tools with potential adopters. Open to all sectors, relevant academics and civil society organisations, the AI Office will host annual gatherings to discuss AI innovation policies and establish sectoral boards to discuss and monitor the strategy’s implementation. Continuous cooperation between Apply AI Alliance, AI Board and RAISE will also facilitate the upscale of valuable research into development and reaching the European market.
- Set up an AI Observatory to provide robust indicators to assess the impact of AI in the currently listed and future sectors, monitor developments and trends and the changes it may bring to the labour market. Based on the monitoring activities, the Commission will make a proposal, in the context of the Digital Decade, of a public and private AI investment target. The Observatory will also support the organisation of sectorial discussions. It will be used for political analysis and decision making as well as for informing the AI community and the broader public about recent developments in the field.
Action items (4)
AI Act Service Desk
The Service Desk will be the EU’s single-entry helpdesk and information platform for AI Act compliance. Hosted by the AI Office, it will offer free, tailored guidance for companies and public authorities—especially SMEs—plus interactive self-assessment tools, decision trees, FAQs, templates and practical advice on obligations, risk classification, conformity assessment and documentation. It will also route users to national competent authorities and consolidate standards and best-practice resources so compliance is faster, cheaper and consistent across the Single Market.
AI Factories
To be implemented until 2026 (status quo).Open, EU-wide hubs built around EuroHPC supercomputers that bundle AI-optimised compute, data storage, programming support and talent to develop frontier models and applications. Startups, SMEs, researchers and public bodies get streamlined one-stop access to computing time, data labs linked to Common European Data Spaces, and services for testing, validation and skills—cutting training from months to weeks and lowering costs. The first 13 Factories across 17 Member States are networked, with AI Factory Antennas extending reach. EuroHPC will provide a single entry point and procure AI-dedicated systems in 2025/26, tripling Europe’s available AI capacity.
AI Gigafactories
Planned for Q4 2025.AI Gigafactories will give Europe frontier-scale compute to train state-of-the-art models. Each site will exceed 100,000 high-performance processors, be designed for energy and water efficiency and circularity, and be federated with EuroHPC’s AI Factories. Financing will blend public-private partnerships with the InvestAI Facility and an official EuroHPC call in Q4 2025. Facilities will co-locate data, training, safety and evaluation capabilities; provide shared access for startups, researchers and the public sector; and anchor regional skills pipelines. As a pilot for the Competitiveness Coordination Tool, they will crowd-in private capital, spur EU AI-chip design ahead of the 2026 Chips Act review, and secure sovereign AI capacity.
Scaleup Europe Fund
Planned for 2026.A market-based, privately managed vehicle deployed via the EIC Fund to bridge Europe’s late-stage equity gap for deep-tech scaleups. It will mobilise substantial private capital and make direct equity investments in strategic sectors (i.e. AI, quantum, advanced semiconductors, biotech, clean tech, defence and space) reinforcing technological sovereignty and economic security. Operating without prejudice to the next MFF, the Fund will coordinate closely with InvestEU and complement the European Tech Champions Initiative (including ETCI 2.0), alongside EIB Group instruments. By tackling fragmented capital markets and financing needs with ticket sizes above €100 million, it will help Europe retain and scale its most promising companies.
Announced — not yet in mastersheet (9)
launch a call for expression of interest inviting European companies to share their AI models and systems with the network of EDIHs, which can subsequently promote their wide-scale deployment across European strategic sectors.
No initiative recordprovide access to practical AI literacy trainings tailored to sectors and job profiles through the AI Skills Academy72, which, in addition to its own offering, will aggregate trainings provided by other EU instruments. The trainings should preferably lead to micro-credentials.
No initiative recordencourage the involvement of industry in AI upskilling and reskilling, including via the Pact for Skills74, and provide access to additional training opportunities to workers in sectors undergoing restructuring or at risk of displacement, including due to AI, via the Skills Guarantee, announced in the Union of Skills
No initiative recordfund “AI for business” (executive master) programmes developing hybrid profiles, such as AI engineers76 with industry-specific expertise via the Digital Europe Programme and potential support of Erasmus+.
No initiative recordestablish an “AI entrepreneurs lab” that, building on existing initiatives (e.g. from EIT and European universities alliances), brings together brilliant AI graduates with entrepreneurial mentors from existing AI companies looking to expand their models or pave the way for future partnerships.
No initiative recordlaunch and coordinate a Frontier AI Initiative to accelerate progress in frontier AI capabilities in Europe by bringing together Europe’s leading industrial and academic actors and supporting strategic efforts. This initiative will focus on unlocking advanced capabilities through cutting-edge AI architectures and high-quality data, leveraging the computing capacity offered by the AI Factories and Gigafactories. To foster the collaboration, the community will be brought together through a call for expressions of interest. The initiative will address ecosystem bottlenecks and downstream demand by Europe’s industry enhancing both competitiveness and sovereignty in frontier AI development. As part of this initiative the Commission will launch major EU-wide competitions to develop open frontier AI models that are major drivers of innovation. These projects will receive free access to EuroHPC supercomputers, and their open models will be made widely available to public authorities across Europe as well as to the European scientific and business communities.
No initiative recordguidelines on the classification of AI systems as high-risk.
No initiative recordguidelines on the AI Act’s interplay with other Union law, covering relevant sectoral legislation (e.g. transport, machinery, radio equipment).
No initiative recordSet up an AI Observatory to provide robust indicators to assess the impact of AI in the currently listed and future sectors, monitor developments and trends and the changes it may bring to the labour market. Based on the monitoring activities, the Commission will make a proposal, in the context of the Digital Decade, of a public and private AI investment target. The Observatory will also support the organisation of sectorial discussions. It will be used for political analysis and decision making as well as for informing the AI community and the broader public about recent developments in the field.
No initiative record