A Strategic Project for European Digital Sovereignty
In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is dominated by giants like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Alibaba, Europe has decided to take a firm stance with OpenEuroLLM, an ambitious open-source project aimed at strengthening the continent’s technological independence.
The initiative, funded by the European Commission through the Digital Europe Programme, brings together 20 universities, tech companies, and supercomputing centers with the goal of developing a family of advanced, multilingual, and transparent language models. This is expected to narrow the gap with the United States and China in the race for AI while ensuring compliance with European regulations on privacy and security.
Transparent and Ethical AI: The European Approach
Unlike the closed models from American and Chinese companies, OpenEuroLLM is committed to transparency and accessibility. The project will allow European companies, institutions, and public administrations to access advanced AI models and adapt them to their needs without relying on foreign technology.
This approach addresses the growing concern about European digital sovereignty in a context where AI is redefining the economy and the future of work. By developing language models that reflect European values and respect privacy and linguistic diversity, OpenEuroLLM aims to become a global benchmark in responsible artificial intelligence.

Supercomputing to Drive AI in Europe
The training of these models will be conducted on European supercomputers, leveraging the infrastructure of EuroHPC, the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking. The computing centers involved include:
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS, Spain)
- CINECA (Italy)
- CSC – IT Center for Science (Finland)
- SURF (Netherlands)
The use of these platforms will enable Europe to develop highly efficient language models without relying on third-party infrastructures, ensuring that the processed data complies with the privacy regulations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
An Initial Budget of 37.4 Million Euros
OpenEuroLLM has been awarded the STEP (Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform) seal, a mark of excellence granted to strategic projects aimed at enhancing European industrial competitiveness.
The project’s initial budget is 37.4 million euros, with 20.6 million funded by the European Commission. Although the investment is modest compared to the billions managed by giants like OpenAI or DeepSeek, this funding is expected to lay the groundwork for future expansions and collaborations.
Key Players in the Development of OpenEuroLLM
The project is led by Jan Hajič from Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic), with co-direction by Peter Sarlin from Silo AI (AMD, Finland).
Participants in the consortium include:
Universities and Research Centers
- Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic)
- ELLIS Institute Tübingen (Germany)
- University of Helsinki (Finland)
- Fraunhofer IAIS (Germany)
- University of Oslo (Norway)
- Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands)
Tech Companies
- Silo AI (Finland, co-led by AMD)
- Aleph Alpha Research (Germany)
- Prompsit Language Engineering (Spain)
- LightOn (France)
- ellamind (Germany)
EuroHPC Supercomputing Centers
How Will OpenEuroLLM Impact the AI Sector?
The development of open-source, adaptable multilingual AI models will position Europe as a key player in the global artificial intelligence landscape. By democratizing access to these models, OpenEuroLLM will allow:
- Strengthening innovation in industrial and commercial sectors.
- Reducing reliance on foreign technologies.
- Ensuring that AI in Europe is developed with transparency and ethical standards.
Moreover, the ability for any European company or government to adjust and customize the models without restrictions will spur the growth of a domestic AI ecosystem, fostering competitiveness and technological development on the continent.
Conclusion: A Strategic Bet for the Future of AI in Europe
OpenEuroLLM represents a strong step toward European digital sovereignty in the field of artificial intelligence. With a focus on transparency, accessibility, and regulatory compliance, this project aims to close the gap with large technological powers and establish Europe as a leader in responsible AI development.
Now, the big question is whether this ambitious plan will be sufficient to compete with giants like OpenAI and Google, or if Europe will need to double down on its efforts to achieve leadership in the global race for artificial intelligence.