Apply for funding for European AI chips and compute infrastructure

Two complementary Chips JU calls are open for projects across the AI compute value chain. With a combined indicative EU budget of €80 million, these calls support the development of functional AI chip demonstrators, and the evaluation, procurement and deployment of AI compute systems.

The opportunities are aimed at organisations working across the AI compute ecosystem, including AI chip design companies, system developers, AI Factories, public AI/HPC infrastructure operators and cloud service providers. The calls are operationally linked: demonstrators developed under the first call will be evaluated through the common platform established under the second, creating a pathway towards rack-level testing and pilot deployment.

The deadline for both calls has been extended to 27 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

AI chip demonstrators

The first call,  AI chip demonstrators for EU compute infrastructure (DIGITAL-JU-CHIPS-2026-AI1-SG), is a Simple Grant with an indicative EU budget of €10 million. The call supports projects bringing advanced European AI chip designs to the demonstrator stage. The Chips JU estimates an EU contribution of up to €1 million per project, although proposals may request a different amount.

Each proposal must include at least one EU-established AI chip design company responsible for the AI chip design and associated intellectual property. System integrators and original equipment manufacturers may also participate where needed for integration, software bring-up and benchmarking. Applicants must demonstrate that the AI chip has been taped out at a commercial foundry, with engineering samples available or expected within the specified timeframe. A PCB hosting the chip must also be in production or expected during the six-month development phase.

Funding will support completion of the demonstrator, including the chip, PCB, cooling and interconnect, as well as software integration and preparation for benchmarking. After development, demonstrators will undergo up to two months of performance-based assessment on the common evaluation platform.

The best-performing solutions can receive the AI Compute Excellence Label, which is a strict eligibility condition for the subsequent Topic A2 rack-development phase. A2 is planned for a later stage and will not be launched in 2026.

AI compute evaluation and procurement

The second call, AI compute evaluation and deployment platform for EU infrastructure (DIGITAL-JU-CHIPS-2026-AI-GfP), is a Grant for Procurement with an indicative EU budget of €70 million. The call will establish the common evaluation infrastructure and services needed to validate Stream A systems against workloads and benchmarks and procure pilot AI compute racks.

It targets a buyers' group of EU-established legal entities. Proposals should include at least one contracting authority or entity operating an EU AI Factory or comparable EU public AI/HPC facility, and at least two EU-established Cloud Service Providers. The consortium must include beneficiaries from at least three different Member States or EEA countries.

The action will run through three operationally linked phases: first, benchmarking Topic A1 chip demonstrators; second, preparing and conducting the benchmark evaluation of Topic A2 rack systems; and third, procuring, installing and optimising selected rack systems. The procurement will focus on scaled, multi-rack clusters rather than isolated single-rack deployments, supporting realistic testing of distributed AI workloads. The overall action is expected to run for 42 months.

A connected funding pathway

The two calls form part of a broader initiative structured around two operational streams. Stream A covers European AI chip and rack development through Topics A1 and A2, while Stream B provides the common evaluation and procurement framework through Topic B.

For AI chip design companies, A1 provides funding to develop and benchmark advanced chip demonstrators and, for selected solutions, a route towards subsequent rack development.

For AI Factories, public AI/HPC facilities and cloud providers, Topic B provides funding to establish the evaluation environment and buyer framework and to procure pilot AI compute systems.

The overall pathway starts with the development of European AI chips, which are brought to the demonstrator stage and evaluated through common benchmarking. Selected technologies can then progress to rack development and system-level testing, before moving towards procurement and pilot deployment in European AI compute infrastructure.

Only A1 and Topic B are currently open. Topic A2 is a later-stage opportunity and is not scheduled to launch in 2026. 

Relevant links

More information on the calls and their requirements is available on the Chips JU website, while applications should be submitted through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.