FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Deutsche Telekom has teamed up with SAP, webhosting agency Ionos and unlisted retailer Schwarz to hunt European Union help to construct a knowledge processing centre for synthetic intelligence in Germany, it stated on Tuesday.
The European Fee this yr unveiled plans to offer $20 billion in funding to assemble AI information centres to meet up with the U.S. and China.
Newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday that the consortium is in talks to construct one of many 5 centres, often called AI gigafactories, the EU plans to help.
“The window of alternative to create our personal impartial infrastructure for that is now,” Christine Knackfuss-Nicolic, chief know-how officer of Deutsche Telekom’s T-Programs division, advised Reuters, including that the corporate is in search of a number one function.
“Hardly ever earlier than have the indicators and the frequent will in Europe been as sturdy as they’re at this time.”
The EU mission, meant to allow the bloc to create its personal AI fashions, will face challenges starting from acquiring chips to discovering appropriate websites and electrical energy.
Below a authorities coalition settlement struck earlier this yr, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives and the Social Democrats stated they aimed to have at the least one of many centres in-built Germany.
Handelsblatt stated the deadline to offer preliminary expressions of curiosity to the EU is June 20.
Ionos advised Reuters it’s holding talks a few German AI gigafactory with a number of firms and the German authorities.
“In precept, we see the European Fee’s initiative as an necessary step in the direction of better digital sovereignty, and are fascinated about taking part in it,” the corporate stated, including that a number of questions stay.
SAP and Schwarz didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger, modifying by Friederike Heine, Thomas Seythal and Jan Harvey)
