The Why
The European Union is decisively positioning itself in the global race for artificial intelligence (AI), recognizing its potential to drive economic growth, innovation, and digital sovereignty. With the EU AI Act entering into force in August 2024 — establishing a comprehensive, risk-based regulatory framework for AI that categorizes applications into risk levels and prohibits unacceptable practices such as governmental social scoring systems — Europe aims to foster trustworthy and ethical AI, with full enforcement expected by August 2026. This directive not only mitigates risks but also incentivizes the development of innovative solutions, aligning with significant investments to strengthen European AI capabilities.
In Portugal, this momentum is reinforced by the Council of Ministers Resolution No. 2/2026, of January 8, which approves the National Artificial Intelligence Agenda (ANIA) and its 2026–2030 Action Plan. This agenda, integrated into the National Digital Strategy, aims to raise national productivity — currently at 75% of the European average — through 32 concrete initiatives structured around four pillars: Infrastructure and Data, Talent and Skills, Innovation and Adoption, and Governance and Ethics. The focus lies in reducing external dependence on computational resources, promoting a robust data economy and strategic computing capabilities, with priority funding from European funds and oversight by the Council for Digital in Public Administration.
This strategic vision addresses a central concern: the excessive dependence on international computing solutions, dominated by American giants such as AWS, Google, and Microsoft, which control approximately 70% of the cloud market in Europe, while European providers hold only 15%. Concerns about laws such as the US CLOUD Act — which grants access to globally stored data — and geopolitical risks, including disruptions to US-based infrastructure, are driving the creation of a "Eurostack": a sovereign digital infrastructure encompassing semiconductors, cloud, software, and AI, based on open standards. Projections indicate that European spending on sovereign cloud will triple from 2025 to 2027, reaching significant levels in response to geopolitical tensions.
To encourage the adoption of European processing power, the EU is mobilizing €200 billion in investments, including the creation of "AI Factories" and "AI Gigafactories" to train advanced AI models, with InvestAI allocating €20 billion for five facilities equipped with 100,000 AI chips. Additionally, programs such as Horizon Europe and Digital Europe invest €1 billion annually, targeting €20 billion per year with private and state contributions, while the proposed Cloud and AI Development Act aims to triple data center capacity in Europe within the next five to seven years by streamlining permits and energy access. Harmonized tax incentives for AI R&D, sovereign funds, and regulatory adjustments for private investment reinforce this transition, encouraging Portuguese and European companies to prioritize homegrown solutions for greater autonomy and competitiveness.
In this context, our AI infrastructure project comes at the ideal moment, perfectly aligned with these dynamics. By offering sovereign, European computing capabilities, we contribute to reducing external dependence, fostering local innovation, and capturing the projected economic benefits — such as an additional €18 to €22 billion in Portuguese GDP through accelerated AI adoption. It is an opportunity to position Portugal and Europe as leaders in ethical and autonomous AI, turning challenges into lasting strategic advantages.