Moreover, officials link the pilot to a broader €600 million push for high-performance infrastructure. Therefore, industry observers see RAISE as Europe’s most ambitious public investment in frontier AI for science. This article unpacks the vision, funding, timelines, and strategic stakes behind the pilot.

RAISE Pilot Vision Clarified

RAISE defines itself as a distributed, yet tightly coordinated, research infrastructure. Instead of constructing a single campus, the programme connects existing labs, clouds, and EuroHPC supercomputers. Additionally, it applies research capability pooling to share curated datasets and specialist support across domains. In contrast, earlier EU projects relied on ad-hoc agreements.

Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen told delegates that such AI science collaboration will level access for all disciplines. Furthermore, Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva framed the institute as a lever for technological sovereignty. Consequently, RAISE expects to grow in phases until 2028 full operation.

Funding And Compute Scale

Horizon Europe anchors the pilot with €107 million. Moreover, a separate €600 million compute line funds AI Gigafactories access for scientists. Therefore, researchers will book time on world-class NVIDIA DGX clusters owned by EuroHPC or private partners. Meanwhile, a €58 million talent pot supports Networks of Excellence and doctoral programmes.

• €107 million pilot launch under Horizon Europe.
• €600 million reserved for AI Gigafactories access.
• €58 million funds talent networks and PhD training.
• €3 million CSA initiates community coordination.

Consequently, the Commission aims to double annual AI outlays beyond €3 billion. In contrast, critics warn private spending still dwarfs these totals. These figures reveal Europe’s renewed ambition. However, funding scale alone cannot deliver scientific breakthroughs. Such investments lay the infrastructure backbone for sustained AI science collaboration across Europe. Therefore, talent initiatives deserve equal attention.

Talent Networks And Training

RAISE plans to attract, train, and retain top researchers. Additionally, the pilot backs postdoctoral residencies embedded within high-impact labs. Consequently, scholars rotate between national institutes, strengthening AI science collaboration and local ecosystems. Moreover, mentorship programmes link students to industry mentors, easing technology transfer.

Professionals can enhance skills through the AI Government Specialist™ certification. Subsequently, graduates feed talent back into RAISE pilot projects. These initiatives expand Europe’s talent pipeline. Nevertheless, equitable access rules remain critical.

Governance And Access Challenges

Assigning scarce GPU hours demands transparent criteria. Therefore, the €3 million CSA will draft governance, allocation, and audit frameworks. In contrast, prior HPC programmes left many researchers waiting months. Additionally, data-sharing protocols must guard provenance, reproducibility, and security.

Stakeholders also debate intellectual-property ownership when public compute trains models on private data. Consequently, the Commission promises open calls for feedback. Moreover, Member States will coordinate through a new ERA action. Ultimately, clear governance will underpin sustainable AI science collaboration. A clear charter will prevent AI science collaboration from splintering into national silos.

Timeline And Next Steps

The pilot follows a phased schedule. First, early projects kick off after the November 2025 start. Subsequently, compute agreements and mentors scale through 2026-2027. Therefore, evaluators will assess impact before integrating lessons into the 2028 full operation blueprint. The phased roadmap keeps AI science collaboration on track amid changing political cycles.

Towards 2028 Full Operation

The Commission plans to anchor RAISE in the 2028–2034 EU budget. Moreover, officials envision a permanent virtual institute with stable governance and predictable resources. Consequently, successful pilots will transition seamlessly into enterprise-grade services. These milestones will confirm feasibility. In contrast, global competition intensifies.

Strategic Implications For Europe

RAISE signals a public bet on compute sovereignty. Additionally, pooled infrastructure lowers barriers for startups and universities. Consequently, AI science collaboration may retain talent that once migrated to foreign labs. Nevertheless, analysts warn funding must pace private gigascale investments.

Securing AI Gigafactories Access

Dedicated slots on EuroHPC MareNostrum-5 or Leonardo supercomputers will complement commercial offerings. Therefore, AI Gigafactories access becomes a strategic resource. Moreover, transparent queuing algorithms will ensure fair distribution. Subsequently, Europe could benchmark utilisation to justify future expansions. Policy makers expect measurable competitiveness gains by the 2028 full operation milestone. Projects awarded in the November 2025 start cohort will share early lessons via open workshops.

Pooling Research Capability Resources

• Accelerated drug discovery through shared molecular datasets.
• Improved climate models using pooled satellite data.
• Faster materials design with cross-domain embeddings.
• Lower entry costs for emerging labs.

Consequently, research capability pooling converts isolated efforts into continental synergies. Meanwhile, success stories will attract additional investors. Effective research capability pooling also cuts duplication in grant spending.

RAISE marks a decisive shift in Europe’s AI landscape. Moreover, the project turns dispersed investments into focused AI science collaboration at scale. With the November 2025 start behind it, stakeholders now chase the 2028 full operation target. Additionally, AI Gigafactories access and research capability pooling promise faster experiments and fairer participation. Nevertheless, transparent governance will determine success. Professionals should monitor open calls and cement their policy skills. Therefore, explore the linked certification and contribute to Europe’s data-driven future. Continued AI science collaboration will help European researchers publish competitive breakthroughs without leaving the continent. Consequently, investors may view the region as a credible locus for responsible frontier innovation.