Canada has become the 39th participating state of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), the body that procures and manages the European Union’s public supercomputers. The accession was announced on October 30, 2026, and will give Canadian researchers and companies access to European supercomputing, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing resources, as well as the chance to take part in R&D projects alongside European partners.
Canada’s entry into EuroHPC in 30 seconds
- Canada is the 39th participating state of EuroHPC, which already brought together the EU’s 27 member countries and 11 other associates such as Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
- Its researchers and companies will be able to request time on European supercomputers such as JUPITER and use AI factories and quantum resources.
- The accession builds on Canada’s association with Horizon Europe, signed in July 2024.
- Neither EuroHPC nor Canada has disclosed how much the country will contribute.
The announcement came in Montreal, as part of the EU-Canada summit and the so-called Alliance for the Future, according to Canadian outlet BetaKit. In the same package, Canada also joined Destination Earth, the European Commission’s initiative to build a digital twin of the planet to model climate, and both sides committed to taking the first steps toward a direct transatlantic data cable that would reduce the dependence of Canadian traffic on routes passing through the United States.
What Canada gains by joining EuroHPC
According to the EuroHPC announcement, Canada will be able to access, like the rest of the participating states, the high-performance computing (HPC), AI, and quantum computing resources the joint undertaking offers. Its scientists will also be able to collaborate with European teams on AI, supercomputing, and quantum projects. Access to the machines goes through EuroHPC’s calls for proposals, in which researchers submit projects and receive computing hours based on their quality.
BetaKit specifies that Canadian researchers and companies will be able to request time on JUPITER, Europe’s first exascale supercomputer, installed at the Jülich center in Germany. Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Evan Solomon, summed it up in Montreal in a quote carried by that outlet: “It means access to a compute power no one can build alone.”
In the official statement, Solomon argues that advanced computing power is essential to turning ambitious ideas into scientific breakthroughs and economic opportunities, and that the accession will open up access to top-tier supercomputing, AI, and quantum resources for Canadian researchers and innovators. Roberto Viola, Director-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT) at the European Commission, says the accession opens opportunities for researchers, companies, and administrations, framing it within the EU-Canada Digital Partnership. EuroHPC’s Executive Director, Anders Jensen, presents it as a reflection of the growing importance of international partnerships in building a sovereign European supercomputing ecosystem.
Neither the EuroHPC statement nor BetaKit’s coverage details how much Canada will pay for its participation or how many computing hours its researchers will be guaranteed. Under EuroHPC, participating states co-finance the machines installed on their territory and contribute funding to the joint programs, so the real scope of the accession will depend on commitments that have not yet been published.
A club of 39 countries, 12 of them outside the EU
EuroHPC was created in 2018, and its legal framework was revised under Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173, amended in July 2024 and again under Regulation (EU) 2026/150, which expanded its mandate to AI gigafactories and quantum technologies. Its governing board brings together the European Commission and a representative from each participating state.
With Canada, the official list now totals 39 states: the EU’s 27 members and 12 countries from outside it. The latter are Albania, Canada, Iceland, Israel, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. According to EuroHPC, membership is open to EU states and to countries associated with its research programs. Alongside its public members, EuroHPC has three private partners: ETP4HPC, the Big Data Value Association, and the quantum industry consortium QuIC.
Canada’s path runs through Horizon Europe. The EU and Canada have cooperated on science since a 1996 agreement, and the country signed its association to the program on July 3, 2024. That association is partial: it covers Pillar II of Horizon Europe, the one devoted to large collaborative projects, not the program as a whole.
The infrastructure it can access: from JUPITER to MareNostrum 5
According to the EuroHPC statement, the joint undertaking has already procured 12 supercomputers across Europe, oversees 19 AI factories and 13 AI Factory antennas, which offer free, tailored support to SMEs and startups, and is deploying a European quantum computing infrastructure connected to its existing supercomputers.
Among the most powerful machines are JUPITER, in Germany — whose chips this outlet covered when SiPearl delivered its first Rhea1 processors to Bull for the system — LUMI, in Finland; Leonardo, in Italy; and MareNostrum 5, at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), whose AI-focused expansion EuroHPC has already signed. For Spain, the arrival of new partners widens the pool of users the BSC competes and collaborates with in access calls.
The figures don’t match across sources. BetaKit describes the network as 14 supercomputers, 10 quantum computers, and 19 AI factories, while the EuroHPC statement speaks of 12 procured supercomputers and gives no number for quantum computers. The gap may stem from counting machines at different stages or expansions, but neither source clarifies it; this article uses EuroHPC’s official figures.
Canada, for its part, is preparing its own public AI supercomputer under a CA$890 million program, whose responsible institution has not yet been chosen, according to BetaKit. Solomon said he was open to connecting it to the European network once it’s built, a possibility that for now is only an intention. EuroHPC’s budget for 2021-2027 is at least €8.2 billion, of which €4.1 billion comes from the EU’s multiannual financial framework.
Frequently asked questions
What is EuroHPC?
It’s a joint undertaking created by the EU in 2018 that pools European and national funding to procure supercomputers, finance supercomputing research, and deploy AI factories and quantum infrastructure.
How many countries are part of EuroHPC?
With Canada, 39 participating states: the EU’s 27 members and 12 countries from outside it, including Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, Israel, and the United Kingdom.
What will Canada be able to do as an EuroHPC member?
Its researchers and companies will be able to access European supercomputers, AI factories, and quantum resources through calls for proposals, and collaborate on European R&D projects.
How much does Canada pay to join EuroHPC?
It hasn’t been disclosed. Neither EuroHPC nor the Canadian government has detailed its financial contribution.
Sources:
- EuroHPC JU: Canada Becomes the 39th Participating State (10/30/2026)
- EuroHPC JU: Discover EuroHPC JU (members and budget)
- BetaKit: Canada to join European supercomputer program
- Horizon Europe (French Government): Canada’s association to Horizon Europe
This article is also available in Spanish: «Canadá entra en EuroHPC como 39.º miembro de la red europea de supercomputación», on revistacloud.com.
