EU and Croatia Allocate Billions to Advance AI Infrastructure

Croatia will redirect €39 million of European Union recovery funds to develop national AI computing infrastructure, known as "AI factories," to support large‑scale data processing and advanced AI models. The money, originally earmarked for hydrogen and electric‑vehicle charging stations, will finance supercomputers, data centres and related equipment, with potential sites including the CARNET network and the Dračevac technology park in Split.

At the same time, the European Union is launching an €80 billion investment programme, the European Tech Champions Initiative 2.0, to mobilise capital for fast‑growing technology firms in strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, clean technology and defence. The fund aims to raise up to €15 billion from institutional investors and channel up to €80 billion into more than 1,500 European companies, fostering new venture funds and supporting dozens of large‑scale AI projects.