欧洲人工智能中心倡议因资金短缺日益严重而遇到障碍

Europe's ambitious initiative to establish a network of massive AI data centers has hit a roadblock, with the bidding process now postponed until July, marking a significant delay from the initially planned May start date. This grand project, which aims to create five cutting-edge gigafactory sites equipped with substantial chip capacity, has encountered numerous setbacks, including funding shortfalls and sluggish rule-making, resulting in waning interest from potential bidders.

As reported by Bloomberg, the project's planned facilities will boast an impressive one gigawatt of power capacity each, with approximately 100,000 advanced chips dedicated to handling AI workloads. However, the repeated postponement of the publication of selection criteria by the European Commission has hindered the planning process for groups preparing to submit bids. Initially, around 70 companies from across Europe expressed interest in the project, but this number has since dwindled to roughly 10 groups expected to participate in the bidding process.

The project's funding model, which carries a total estimated cost of €20 billion, has sparked concerns, as less than half of this amount is expected to come from public funding.欧盟已承诺提供 41 亿欧元的直接补贴，东道成员国预计也将提供相应数额的补贴。 However, private investors will need to cover the remaining costs for the five planned centers, which has created uncertainty regarding the project's near-term viability.值得注意的是，五个中心中只有两个能够在 2028 年之前获得资金，其余地点取决于欧盟的下一个预算周期。

This delayed funding structure has raised questions about the project's launch schedule and the speed at which Europe can develop its AI infrastructure. The EU program faces significant competition from private AI infrastructure deals, such as SoftBank's recent announcement of up to €75 billion for data centers in France, which exceeds the entire EU gigafactory program by more than three times.与此同时，Meta 正在德克萨斯州投资 130 亿美元建设单个数据中心，这一金额与欧盟的直接补贴计划总额相当。

In contrast, US utilities plan to invest a staggering $1.4 trillion in grid infrastructure for AI by 2030, with American hyperscalers pouring hundreds of billions of dollars annually into data centers. The EU's €4.1 billion subsidy, which will be spread across five countries, underscores the reliance on national support and private capital for each site.由于委员会尚未公布最终投标标准，因此延迟的标准仍然是正式投标开始之前的关键一步。 The repeated delays have prompted some groups to reconsider their bids, with at least two potential participants potentially stepping back if the project's scope is reduced. According to Maria Nowicka, a researcher at Interface, the shifting timeline has become increasingly difficult to track, with the project's future now hanging in the balance.