Paris Becomes Epicenter of Global Tech ChallengeFor two days, the French capital hosted the AI Action Summit, an event that brought together political leaders, technology giants and international investors to charting the future of artificial intelligence. Co-chaired by the French President Emmanuel Macron and from the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the summit has put the spotlight on Europe and its ambition to catch up with the United States and China.
The goal? To define a AI model that is ethical, transparent and accessible, avoiding dependence on technological superpowers. Macron relaunched this vision with determination: “We are experiencing an unprecedented technological and scientific revolution. France and Europe must seize this opportunity: AI will allow us to live better, learn better, work better, heal better. It is up to us to put it at the service of humanity”.
But these are not just declarations of intent. On the There are 109 billion euros of investments at the table to consolidate France as a European AI hub, while the 'European Union finally starts to move with a more ambitious plan. The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced InvestAI, an i200 billion euro initiative to fund the development of artificial intelligence on the continent.
The message is clear: Europe does not intend to sit back and watch and is preparing to play a leading role in the global race for AI.
AI, not just the US and China: here is the French-led “third way”
Macron has firmly outlined the strategy for aEurope Leads in Artificial Intelligence, without depending on the American or Chinese giants. “We have shown the world that, with a clear vision and precise deadlines, we can do it,” he said, evoking the speed with which France rebuilt Notre-Dame as a symbol of the capacity for concrete action.
Its “Third Way” for AI is based on three key principles:
- Technological sovereignty: developing an autonomous infrastructure with data centers, supercomputers and chips designed and produced in Europe, reducing dependence on overseas giants.
- Sustainability: Powering data centers with nuclear energy and renewable sources, limiting environmental impact and ensuring a stable supply.
- Regulated but dynamic AI: Finding a balance between regulations and innovation, avoiding bureaucratic rigidities that could slow the growth of the sector.
The Chairperson reiterated the central role of France in this process, praising the boom in investments in the sector: new data centers will be born, partnerships will be developed with large French companies and we will have enormous computing capacity to compete with other global giants”. And then they will be “green”: “The data centers in France are not like the American ones, fueled by oil and gas. Here we are talking about clean and available energy, without impacting household consumption”.
Macron's message is clear: Paris wants Leading Europe in this technological challenge, transforming it into a global AI player with an ethical and sustainable model. For the French president, Artificial Intelligence is not only a technological and industrial revolution, but an opportunity to profoundly transform society and improve the quality of life in every area.
109 billion investments: France prepares to become an AI giant
During the summit, President Macron revealed a ambitious private investment plan of 109 billion euros, destined to transform France into one of the world's leading hubs for Artificial Intelligence. Although it is less than the $500 billion figure announced by Trump for the Stargate program, the French investment is nevertheless significant and aims to develop advanced infrastructures, strengthen digital sovereignty and boost the country's computing capacity.
several international actors have already joined the project, Including:
- United Arab Emirates: The MGX fund will invest 50 billion euros in the construction of a campus dedicated to AI, which will house a one-gigawatt supercomputer, among the most powerful in the world.
- Brookfield: The Canadian fund has allocated 20 billion euros for artificial intelligence projects in France, thus consolidating the economic partnership between the two countries.
- Fluidstack: The British cloud computing company has signed a deal with the French government to build one of the world's largest supercomputers, with an investment of 10 billion euros, powered by nuclear energy and operational by 2026.
- Amazon: The e-commerce giant has confirmed 6 billion euros to expand its cloud infrastructure in France by 2031.
- Apollo Global Management: It has allocated $5 billion to fund projects in AI and energy.
- DigitalRealty: The multinational data center company will invest up to 6 billion euros to develop technological infrastructure in Paris and Marseille.
- equinix: The company has announced a commitment of 750 million euros to create 10 new data centers between Paris and Bordeaux.
- Mistral AI: The French startup, backed by Nvidia, will begin construction of the largest supercomputer in Europe, intended to compete with OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
Furthermore, the French Iliad will invest 3 billion euros, of which 2,5 billion in AI databases. Also Orange e Thales are ready to reveal their plans as further investments are on the way, with further details expected at the upcoming Sommet Choose France 2025.
The EU responds with “InvestAI”: 200 billion for gigafactories
Also 'European Union he takes the field and throws a200 billion euro initiative, called InvestAI, to consolidate its role in the field of artificial intelligence. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, enthusiastically announced the plan, stressing that “Artificial Intelligence can improve healthcare, innovation and European competitiveness. With InvestAI, We want to ensure that Europe is the protagonist of this technological revolution.”
The initiative includes a initial investment of 50 billion euros coming from European funds, intended to integrate the European AI Champions Initiative, which he already has attracted commitments of 150 billion euros from private investors, including giants such as Airbus, ASML, Siemens, Infineon, Philips, Mistral and Volkswagen. “We want to mobilise a total of €200 billion for AI investments in Europe,” said von der Leyen.
Il InvestAI plan includes:
- €20 billion for the creation of four AI gigafactories, centers specialized in training AI models on a large scale.
- Installing 100.000 next-generation chips in each gigafactory, quadrupling Europe's computing capacity.
- The creation of a public-private fund to ensure that startups can also access the necessary computational resources.
These gigafactories will be the beating heart of the infrastructure needed to develop advanced AI models, especially in fields such as medicine and science. The new facilities, each equipped with 100.000 cutting-edge AI chips, will be a key step for innovation in complex industrial sectors, as envisaged by the European Commission.
“The gigafactories financed through InvestAI will be the world's largest public-private partnership for trustworthy AI development“, the Commission said. “They will serve a European model of cooperative and open innovation, with a focus on complex industrial applications.”
InvestAI will be supported by a multi-level fund, with different risk and return options, mainly financed through existing programs of the EU as Digital Europe, Horizon europe e Invest EU. Member States will also be able to contribute by reprogramming funds from their cohesion programmes. This investment, with a combination of grants and equity, is one of the main pillars of the European Commission's Competitiveness Compass.
The Commission has already announced the creation of the first seven factories of Ia, with an initial backing of €10 billion, co-financed by the EU and Member States, set to become the largest public investment in AI in the world. This will unlock more than ten times the value in private investment, helping to build the future of AI in Europe.
The Final Declaration on AI: 61 Countries Sign, but US and UK Pull Out
At the conclusion of the summit on artificial intelligence, it was Paris Declaration signed, a document that commits 61 countries to promote “open, inclusive and ethical” AIThe statement emphasizes some key points, Including:
- The need to avoid market concentration in the hands of a few players.
- The importance of AI energy sustainability.
- The creation of an international observatory to monitor energy impacts, led by the International Energy Agency.
Despite broad consensus, dtwo major powers have not signed the agreement: United States and United Kingdom. The US Vice President, JD Vance, Has expressed concerns regarding what he called “excessive regulation” in Europe, while London seems to want to maintain a position closer to American interests. Macron replied: “Global rules are the foundation of AI that lasts over time”.
TAmong the signatory countries, however, there is China. The leaders of these countries (Minister Urso was present for Italy) stressed the need for global coordination in AI governance, to avoid market concentration and ensure that the technology remains accessible. Another priority that emerged is to make AI sustainable, not only for people, but also for the planet. Also important is the creation of the international observatory, that will monitor the energy impact of artificial intelligence, an initiative that aims to bring together leading companies in the sector in a coalition for more sustainable AI.
Macron: “Europe must wake up, it's time to act!”
In his final speech, Macron launched a appeal to the european community: “It's time to wake up and have a clear strategy for AI, as we did with the reconstruction of Notre Dame“. An exhortation not to fall behind, but to face the challenge with determination. “However,” added the president, “we must go fast, always fast.” A warning that leaves no room for indecision: “We are too slow,” he admitted, “we need to speed up and reduce the distance with others".
Macron then stressed the need for simplify bureaucratic processes, urging Europe not to lose pace with the United States and China: “We simplify all the procedures. One person is in charge of the project and we keep our commitments”.
Now, the real challenge will be to transform these promises into concrete results. The EWill Europe answer Macron's call? The next summit, to be held in India, could provide the first answers.
