Poland is fighting for billions from the EU. A powerful coalition has been formed against Big Tech
Coalition of states with the participation of, among others, Poland, Germany and France will strive to ensure that the EC returns to ambitious plans to build AI gigafactories, assuming greater participation of European countries in this venture, said Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Dariusz Standerski.
The deputy head of the Ministry of Digital Affairs participated on Friday in the conference “Baltic AI GigaFactory in Wrocław – Science, Economy, Security” organized by the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. The Wrocław university is seeking participation in the implementation of the Baltic AI GigaFactory project and the construction of an artificial intelligence factory with enormous computing power. The value of such an investment may amount to EUR 3 billion.
At the end of December, the European Commission changed the concept of building AI gigafactories in the European Union. The rules developed in April 2025 included a competition for the construction of AI gigafactories, i.e. investments designed to implement very large AI models and applications. According to the April rules, member states were to participate in the competition together with consortiums, i.e. interested business and scientific organizations. Poland, as a leader, together with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as well as companies and scientific institutions from these countries, created the Baltic AI GigaFactory consortium in June, and the EC accepted the application in this matter in July. Later, the Czech Republic joined the project.
According to the new rules presented by the European Commission at the end of December at a meeting with the Polish consortium, A European tender for the construction of AI gigafactories is planned, from which big tech will not be excluded.
In reaction to this A coalition of countries has been formed to – as Standerski said on Friday in Wrocław – “strengthen efforts regarding the ambitious project of building AI gigafactories.”
– Poland has built a coalition together with France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands – said Standerski, confirming earlier, unofficial PAP reports in this regard.
He added that The coalition countries want AI gigafactories in the EU to be a project that will “open a new chapter in the field of cooperation between the state and business”. – We want this project to be even more ambitious than the one presented today by the EC, said the deputy minister.
When asked by PAP about the details of the solutions that the coalition of countries wants to push, Standerski said: it is about returning to the original solutions regarding the model of building AI gigafactories, presented by the EC in February last year. They outlined a new formula for cooperation between states and the private sector. – The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, clearly said that only thanks to the cooperation of government resources and private capital, we will be able to respond to infrastructure challenges. And after many months of work, also in member states such as Poland and our consortium, the European Commission, as part of these pioneering activities, slightly verified its assumptions and changed them to less ambitious than initially – said the deputy minister.
He explained that the new solution, presented by the EC in December, is a return to “old, known solutions in the form of a European tender.” – In such a tender, what matters is the price and technical conditions, and the role of countries is to be limited only to guaranteeing a contribution of approximately EUR 500 million without any influence on where, by whom and how this AI gigafactory is to be built – he said.
He added that the coalition of states wants to make corrections and return to previous solutions. – Today we are putting on the table solutions that will increase the participation of states and protect the interests of those companies that already operate in the EUthey employ workers here and contribute to the development of Europe – said the deputy head of the Ministry of Digital Affairs. He added that the “European tender” would de facto invalidate the previous work of international consortiums of European countries, such as Baltic AI GigaFactory.
Standerski emphasized that The members of the coalition also believe that EU countries should have a greater influence, for example on the location of future AI gigafactories. He added that the idea is for companies that are already investing in Poland and that are present in our country to participate in these investments.
After the December decision of the European Commission, Estonia and Latvia withdrew from the Baltic AI GigaFactory consortium. Standerski announced that a delegation of the Lithuanian government will come to Poland next week and an agreement will be signed between Poland and Lithuania on further cooperation in the development of digital technologies. – Both the Lithuanian government and the Czech government, as well as the new Czech government, continue cooperation in this area with Poland (construction of the AI gigafactory – PAP) and we jointly appear before the EC in this regard – said the deputy minister.
In February 2025, Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU's InvestAI fund, with a budget of EUR 20 billion, would finance five artificial intelligence gigafactories in the EU. Last June 16 Member States, including Poland, sent 76 initial applications on this matter. Originally, the EC was to invite countries to submit official applications at the end of last year.
The creation of gigafactories depends on the regulations currently being developed by the European Commission. According to the EC's December proposal, only companies or consortiums of several companies will be able to apply for tenders to build gigafactories, which will then be assessed according to previously established rules. At the end, a list of results will be announced, which is standard in tenders also organized in Poland.
According to the application regarding Baltic AI GigaFactory, the investment was to cost EUR 3 billion, i.e. approximately PLN 12.7 billion. 65 percent this amount was to come from the private sector, and 35 percent – from the public sector, half of which (17.5%) was to be provided by the countries forming the consortium, and the other half by the European Commission. (PAP)
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