200bn euro alliance seeks to put Europe in driving seat of AI development
Europe will contribute 50 billion euros to the world’s largest public-private partnership for artificial intelligence, which brings together more than 60 major companies.
The EU's funding is in addition to the 150 billion euros already committed by the groups involved in the EU AI Champions Initiative.
“Too often, I hear that Europe is late to the race, while the US and China have already gotten ahead. I disagree,” said Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, introducing the project at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris on Tuesday.
“Because the AI race is far from over. Truth is, we are only at the beginning. The frontier is constantly moving. And global leadership is still up for grabs.”
The initiative, which brings together industrial groups and tech companies, including Airbus, L'Oréal, Mercedes, Siemens, Spotify and Mistral AI, is intended to enable “the full potential of Europe” in AI to be unlocked, in particular by simplifying the regulatory framework.
Common ground
The two-day AI summit, taking place at the Grand Palais, is an international meeting aimed at finding common ground on global governance.
Neither the US or the UK were among the 61 countries to sign the declaration for open, inclusive and ethical AI published at the end of the event.
"The AI race is far from over. Truth is, we are only at the beginning"
Speaking at the summit, US vice president JD Vance warned against partnerships in the sector with “authoritarian regimes” and “excessive regulation”, which “could kill a transformative industry”.
Introducing international regulations that could restrict American companies “is a terrible mistake, not only for the United States of America but also for your own countries”, he added.
Tool of censorship
Vance, who made his career in Silicon Valley, said that “the United States is the leader in AI and our administration intends for it to remain so”, adding that “American AI will not be used as a tool of censorship”.
Among the other measures announced in Paris were the launch of an open-source observatory by the International Energy Agency to measure the impact of AI on energy consumption. It will begin in April.
Each query on ChatGPT consumes 2.9 watt-hours of electricity, 10 times more than a Google search, while the data centres that store the data and provide the necessary computing power accounted for nearly 1.4 per cent of global electricity consumption in 2023, according to a Deloitte study.
Ursula von der Leyen (left) on a panel at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, 11 February 2025 © PHOTO ELIOT BLONDET / ABACAPRESS.COM
Related news
