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The Commission is establishing an AI Office to oversee the implementation of the AI Act and has proposed giving businesses access to AI-dedicated supercomputers.
The European Commission has revealed a batch of proposed measures to support EU start-ups and SMEs developing AI.
The measures include the setting up ‘AI Factories’, which involve giving EU businesses access to AI-dedicated supercomputers to help them train their trustworthy AI models. These supercomputers will also be made available to a large number of public and private users.
The European Commission said this measure will also provide a “one-stop shop” to support the AI start-up and research ecosystem in the algorithmic development, testing and validation of large-scale AI models.
Commissioner for the internal market Thierry Breton said the AI Factories will bring together the raw materials for AI such as “computing power, data, algorithms and talent”.
“They will serve as a one-stop shop for Europe’s AI start-ups, enabling them to develop the most advanced AI models and industrial applications,” Breton said. “We are making Europe the best place in the world for trustworthy AI.”
The measures also include financial support from the Commission through Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe programme, dedicated to generative AI. The Commission said this package will generate additional public and private investment of around €4bn until 2027.
The proposed measures follow the political agreement reached last month on the EU’s AI Act, which aims to support the development and deployment of trustworthy AI that respects EU values and rules.
There are also plans to establish an ‘AI Office’ within the Commission, to ensure the development and coordination of AI policy at a European level and supervise the implementation and enforcement of the AI Act.
The Commission said the decision to establish an AI Office enters into force today (24 January) and that its operations will commence in the following months. Meanwhile, the European Parliament and the Council will consider the Commission’s proposal around the establishment of AI Factories.
Last month, the European Digital SME Alliance raised concerns that potential changes to the AI Act, such as allowing Big Tech companies to self-regulate their foundation AI models, could shift responsibility to smaller businesses and create barriers to entry. It is not clear if this issue has been addressed.
There are reports that the AI Act will be subject to a final vote by the European Parliament and European Council in early 2024.
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