The European Union has opened the call for tenders for a European Artificial Intelligence (AI) gigafactory in Móra la Nova (Ribera d'Ebre). The submission of candidacies will be open until November 12, with the possibility of selecting up to seven proposals, expanding the initially planned five.
This initiative, led by industry and with potential funding of up to 10 billion euros from the EU and member states, aims to mobilize at least 20 billion euros in private investment. The goal is to expand AI computing capacity in Europe and provide companies, academics, and public authorities with access to infrastructure for training and fine-tuning advanced AI models.
The gigafactories will combine advanced AI processors, software, high-speed connectivity, and energy-efficient data centers. This network, along with 19 other European AI factories, will strengthen Europe's technological leadership and strategic autonomy, ensuring that AI development aligns with EU standards and values in data protection, security, and ethics.
The Iberian bid, with its legal headquarters in Móra la Nova and a technical sub-headquarters in San Fernando de Henares (Madrid), seeks to attract an investment of up to 5 billion euros. The promoting consortium has already been established as a company, with 51.01% of private capital and 48.99% from the public sector, including the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT) with 47.99% and the Institut Català del Sòl (Incasòl) with 1%.
Companies such as Telefónica (15.67%), ACS (15.67%), and Banco Santander (15.67%) are part of the initial capital, with 4% for Multiverse Computing. The potential incorporation of other companies through capital increases is foreseen.
Proposals will be evaluated competitively. The Móra la Nova bid is considered a cross-border project with the potential to turn southern Catalonia into a European technological hub. The Ministry for Digital Transformation could invest 719 million euros through the SETT.
The European Commission and member states will jointly finance access to the computing capacity of the selected gigafactories. The first lot will support up to four projects with EU funding that can reach 500 million euros per project over two phases, while the second lot will support up to three projects with funding of up to 1 billion euros per project.
Access to large-scale AI infrastructure is crucial for Europe's industrial competitiveness and technological sovereignty. Consortia will be able to acquire hardware from European or allied countries, with opportunities for European startups. Letters of intent have also been signed with US suppliers such as AMD, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm.
Award decisions are expected by early 2027, with construction scheduled to begin in the same year and operation within a maximum of 18 months.
