🧠 Europe's AI Action Plan: Key Opportunities for France and Ireland

April 9, 2025 marks a significant turning point in Europe's technological strategy as the European Commission unveiled its ambitious AI Action Plan for a Continent. This pragmatic and visionary plan aims to place Europe at the forefront of global AI innovation, competing effectively with tech giants from the United States and China.

🚀 The 5 Pillars of Europe's AI Action Plan

1. Infrastructure: The Rise of AI Gigafactories

The EU plans to establish up to five state-of-the-art AI Gigafactories, each equipped with over 100,000 AI-specific processors. The goal is to provide Europe with essential computational power for developing and training advanced generative AI models, ensuring technological autonomy.

France aligns perfectly with this vision through existing projects such as the Jean Zay supercomputer and industrial initiatives like Mistral AI. These infrastructures present a unique opportunity to strengthen the French technological ecosystem and create thousands of skilled jobs.

Ireland, strategically located and hosting many of Europe's leading data centers, can leverage these Gigafactories to position itself as a pivotal AI hub in Northwestern Europe, enhancing its economic and technological appeal.

2. European Data for Reliable AI

The plan includes creating Data Labs, integrated within the Gigafactories, to provide access to high-quality datasets compliant with GDPR. The objective is to develop relevant, accurate, secure, and value-aligned AI models for Europe.

French research institutes like INRIA and the Health Data Hub can significantly contribute through their expertise in managing sensitive data, particularly in health.

In Ireland, renowned data excellence centers such as the Insight Centre for Data Analytics and the ADAPT Centre are well-positioned to play critical roles, given their strong expertise in data science and management.

3. Talent and Training: Investing in the Future

To address the growing demand for qualified professionals in artificial intelligence, the European Commission plans to establish a European AI Skills Academy. This pan-European initiative will offer innovative training programmes, scholarships, and a new diploma in generative AI, aiming to equip a diverse new generation of talent with the skills needed to thrive in the AI-driven economy.

Numerous universities and institutions across France and Ireland are already engaged in cutting-edge AI research and education. In France, institutions such as École Polytechnique, CentraleSupélec, INRIA and many others contribute to a robust academic ecosystem known for excellence in mathematics, computer science and responsible AI.

Likewise, Ireland boasts a strong university tradition—with institutions like Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and the University of Galway—actively participating in European research frameworks and developing competitive AI programmes. As an English-speaking country, Ireland also has a natural advantage in attracting international students and researchers.

The European AI Skills Academy will provide an opportunity to harmonize and amplify these efforts, fostering transnational collaboration, student mobility, and the creation of joint degrees. It will help ensure that Europe can cultivate not only AI expertise, but also the multilingual, multicultural perspective needed to deploy AI responsibly across different societies and sectors.s.

4. Accelerating Concrete AI Adoption

The Apply AI initiative seeks to enable the rapid and widespread deployment of AI solutions across strategic sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, and public services. Through a mix of targeted funding instruments, regulatory sandboxes, and collaborative experimentation platforms, the initiative empowers stakeholders to test, adapt, and scale innovative AI tools in real-world environments.

For France and Ireland, this pillar presents a fertile ground for cooperation and mutual benefit. In the healthcare sector, both countries are home to dynamic medtech ecosystems and world-class research institutions. Collaborations in areas like AI-assisted diagnostics, remote patient monitoring, and predictive medicine could lead to transformative public health outcomes.

In cybersecurity, where critical infrastructure protection is paramount, French expertise in AI governance and Irish leadership in data-centric innovation offer a compelling foundation for joint development of trusted, resilient AI systems. Likewise, in agriculture and the green transition, AI tools can drive resource efficiency, carbon footprint reduction, and sustainable land use practices—areas where both countries are investing heavily under EU Green Deal frameworks.

Ireland, in particular, benefits from a vibrant and agile startup ecosystem that is among the most dynamic in Europe. Its high density of AI-enabled startups, combined with a strong track record in cloud computing and data analytics, positions it as a natural incubator of scalable, cross-border AI ventures. Through the Apply AI framework, Irish startups are well-placed to pilot cutting-edge solutions alongside French partners and expand their reach within the EU market.

5. Effective Implementation of the AI Act

To assist companies in complying with the European AI regulation (AI Act), the European Commission will open a dedicated AI Act Service Desk by summer 2025, offering free tools, impact assessments, and personalized advice.

This initiative represents a significant opportunity for French and Irish SMEs and startups to quickly adapt to European regulatory requirements while maintaining competitiveness globally.

🌍 The Urgency to Address Europe's AI Gap

According to Stanford University's 2024 AI Index Report, the United States produced 40 major foundation models in that year alone, while China followed with 15. In stark contrast, Europe produced only three—and all were developed in France. This data underscores a critical vulnerability for the continent: despite its scientific excellence, Europe lacks the coordinated infrastructure and investment power of its global rivals.

This imbalance raises serious concerns about strategic autonomy, economic competitiveness, and technological sovereignty. Without substantial corrective measures, Europe risks becoming dependent on external AI technologies—technologies that may not align with European values around privacy, transparency, and ethics.

Recognizing this gap, the European Commission has taken a bold step with the AI Continent Action Plan. It is a response not only to quantitative lag but also to the qualitative need to define a distinct European model of AI—one that is open, ethical, inclusive, and sustainable.

🇫🇷🤝🇮🇪 France–Ireland: A Strategic Partnership for Collaborative Innovation

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, France and Ireland offer complementary strengths that, when brought together, can unlock meaningful innovation across Europe. Their partnership is not just timely — it is a natural extension of shared values and mutual ambitions.

🧠 France: Research Excellence and a Vision for Responsible AI

France has positioned itself as a key driver of scientific research and responsible technological development. Institutions like Inria, CNRS, and CEA are at the forefront of AI, quantum computing, and digital health. The national ecosystem is supported by a strong public policy framework (e.g., the AI for Humanity strategy), and a growing network of deep tech startups backed by La French Tech, Bpifrance and regional innovation clusters. France also plays a leading role in shaping a European vision for trustworthy, human-centric AI — balancing innovation with regulation.

🌍 Ireland: Digital Agility and a Thriving Startup Culture

Ireland brings to the table a globally connected digital infrastructure and a dynamic tech environment. As home to the European headquarters of major technology companies, Ireland has deep expertise in data services, cloud computing, and platform technologies. Its startup ecosystem — from MedTech and HealthTech to AI and SportsTech — is vibrant and export-oriented. Irish institutions like Insight, ADAPT, and Tyndall are already working at the cutting edge of applied AI and digital transformation, making Ireland an ideal launchpad for scaling and testing innovation across European and global markets.

🌐 A European Opportunity: From Complementarity to Collaboration

The European Commission’s AI Action Plan for a Continent provides an ideal framework to deepen Franco-Irish collaboration, particularly in areas like:

• Talent and training, by connecting French academic excellence with Ireland’s capacity for agile deployment in AI, cybersecurity, and digital health.
• Joint research projects in AI applications for healthcare, energy, manufacturing and green technologies, under programmes like Horizon Europe.
• Startup and SME integration, enabling co-development and testing of solutions via AI Factories, Data Spaces, and cross-border accelerators.
• Ethical AI implementation, where both countries can contribute their legal, regulatory, and technical expertise to support trustworthy deployment.

🌱 Building a Shared Foundation for Europe’s Digital Ambitions

While this partnership may not yet be widely recognised across Europe, it holds real potential to contribute meaningfully to the EU’s strategic goals. Rather than seeking to lead by size, France and Ireland can lead by example — by demonstrating how cooperation between complementary ecosystems can foster innovation that is ethical, inclusive, and impactful.

This is not about competing with larger alliances, but about laying the groundwork for scalable, human-centred digital solutions that reflect Europe’s diversity and its commitment to the common good.

In doing so, France and Ireland have an opportunity to make a quiet but significant contribution to shaping a digital Europe that is both innovative and sovereign.

🔗 Towards a Collective European Mobilization

The AI Action Plan for a Continent isn't just an ambition—it's a necessity. It's now up to all stakeholders—businesses, universities, public institutions—to seize this unique opportunity and actively contribute to building a sovereign, innovative, and responsible AI Europe.

France and Ireland have crucial roles to play. Now is the time to act.

📩 Interested in Franco-Irish AI collaboration? Contact us to discuss European opportunities.