Nvidia Unveils Europe’s First AI Cloud Platform for Industry, Eyes Quantum Leap
At the VivaTech conference in Paris, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced a major leap in the company’s European strategy. For the first time, Nvidia will build an artificial intelligence cloud platform dedicated to industrial applications, and Germany will be home to it. This advanced AI system will blend robotics and machine learning to assist carmakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz in everything from product design simulation to logistics optimization.
Scaling Up AI Infrastructure in Europe
Huang used his keynote to reveal a broader vision: a dramatic expansion of Nvidia’s presence across Europe. The company plans to scale up its AI computing power in the region by 10 times over the next two years. This includes the development of 20 new AI factories, massive hubs for building, training, and deploying AI models.
These AI factories signal a significant shift in Europe’s digital capabilities. For years, the region has lagged behind the U.S. and China in AI development. Now, Nvidia aims to help close that gap, both in industrial use and in foundational computing infrastructure.
New Partnerships and Language Capabilities
As part of its Europe-first approach, Nvidia will expand technology centres in seven countries and support the development of multilingual AI models. One notable partnership is with Mistral, a European AI leader. Together, they aim to build a powerful AI system using 18,000 of Nvidia’s latest chips, designed specifically for use by European businesses.
Huang emphasized the need for AI sovereignty: “Sovereign AI is an imperative, no company, industry or nation can outsource its intelligence,” he said. His message was clear: the future of AI should be locally built, managed, and owned.
A Political and Economic Milestone
Although Nvidia has not confirmed the exact location, cost, or timeline of the German AI plant, the announcement is expected to resonate strongly with policymakers. Sources say Huang will travel to Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. If finalized, the plant could serve as a political win for Merz’s new coalition, especially after setbacks involving Intel and Wolfspeed, both of which postponed plans for German factories.
In contrast, the European Commission has pledged $20 billion to build four AI factories, aligning with Nvidia’s move and reflecting a unified push for AI innovation across the continent.
Huang didn’t limit his talk to traditional AI. He also touched on quantum computing, calling it an area on the brink of transformation. He noted that quantum systems may soon tackle problems that would take Nvidia’s top-tier AI computers years to solve.
This marked a shift from his earlier skepticism, just a few months ago, he believed useful quantum machines were two decades away. Now, Huang believes quantum solutions are within reach, and they could redefine computing capabilities in the coming years.