EU Unveils 'Apply AI Strategy' to Foster Sovereign European AI Economy
The EU Commission has unveiled the 'Apply AI Strategy' on October 8, 2025, a key initiative to foster a sovereign European AI economy. This strategy complements the 'AI Continent Action Plan' from April and aims to integrate AI into economic value creation, public administration, and research across Europe.
The strategy focuses on strengthening computing infrastructure, including AI Gigafactories, which will serve as high-performance data centers. It also aims to bolster data spaces, European Digital Innovation Hubs, the AI-on-Demand portal, and the European Data Spaces. The EU seeks to strategically bundle and implement numerous programs and funding measures promptly and practically to achieve these goals.
The success of this strategy relies on complementary private capital, innovation-friendly regulation, and excellent location conditions. Susanne Dehmel, a member of the Bitkom management board, stressed the importance of supporting public investments with private capital to meet Europe's ambitious AI goals. The strategy aims to leverage Europe's strength in AI, which lies in its many innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, providing them with support in AI use.
The 'Apply AI Strategy' is a significant step towards reducing Europe's dependence on AI technologies and building its own AI capabilities. By investing in computing infrastructure, data spaces, and supporting innovative enterprises, the EU aims to create a sovereign European AI economy, making AI an integral part of various sectors across the continent.
