Council Approves Fast-Track Entry into Force for EuroHPC Regulation to Boost AI Gigafactories

The EU Council has adopted procedural adjustments to accelerate the entry into force of the amending Regulation for the European High Performance Computing (EuroHPC) Joint Undertaking, moving the effective date from 9 February 2026 to 20 January 2026. The changes, approved via a written procedure, are designed to give member states additional time to mobilise national contributions under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to fund AI Gigafactories.

Procedural adjustments for swift enactment The document, a note from the Council's General Secretariat to the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper), outlines last-minute procedural tweaks to the Regulation. Article 2 is amended to have the Regulation enter into force the day after its publication in the Official Journal, bypassing the standard 20-day delay. A corresponding recital explains the rationale. The substantive policy provisions were already agreed in a Council General Approach on 9 December 2025.

Impact on stakeholders The accelerated timeline primarily affects member states and the European Commission. Member states gain extra weeks to adjust their national RRF plans and submit proposals for AI Gigafactories, addressing concerns that delays would limit their ability to secure funding. The European Commission benefits from a faster implementation of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking's expanded mandate. EU producers in the high-performance computing and AI sectors may see accelerated investment opportunities, while national authorities face tighter administrative deadlines to finalise contributions. The procedural change has no direct impact on consumers or civil society.

Next steps The Council's final adoption via written procedure clears the path for the Regulation to enter into force on 20 January 2026. The European Parliament is not involved in this procedural step, as the amendments were already agreed under the ordinary legislative procedure. The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking will then proceed with implementing the new rules, including calls for AI Gigafactory proposals.