Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, in a written answer on 19 June 2026, outlined the Commission's strategy to prevent supplier dominance in AI gigafactory projects, promising that procurement evaluation criteria will structurally reward consortia using European hardware and sovereign software stacks. The answer, responding to a parliamentary question led by Oliver Schenk (PPE) and 17 other MEPs, aims to reassure stakeholders that the EU will not repeat past mistakes of over-reliance on a single global supplier for GPUs and AI training infrastructure.
The Commission acknowledges the structural risks of dependence on a limited number of suppliers for critical AI infrastructure. To counter this, Virkkunen pointed to the European Chips Act as a parallel effort to boost domestic capacity and foster a diversified ecosystem inclusive of SMEs. The AI Gigafactory initiative, run under EuroHPC JU, will strongly encourage deployment of European open-source software solutions in procurements to reduce third-country dependencies and prevent lock-in. However, the answer clarifies that gigafactories must rely on currently available, state-of-the-art technology to deliver competitive services immediately, not serve as experimental platforms. A phased implementation strategy will allow facilities to progressively integrate newly emerging yet mature European hardware in subsequent phases, diversifying the supply chain over time without compromising immediate industrial capabilities.
The answer contains concrete policy intentions—specific procurement evaluation criteria and a phased integration plan—but lacks numerical targets or deadlines. The policy orientation is towards strategic autonomy and competition, balancing immediate competitiveness with long-term diversification. Institutional follow-up is expected as the EuroHPC JU implements the gigafactory calls, with the Commission signalling that future phases will open doors for European suppliers.
European AI hardware and software SMEs stand to gain from preferential procurement rules, while dominant non-EU suppliers face reduced lock-in. EU data centre operators may face higher short-term costs from integrating less mature European technology. Taxpayers benefit from reduced strategic vulnerability but may bear transitional efficiency costs.