The Dutch AI Factory’s computing facility will open its doors in just over a year. However, there’s no need to sit idle in the meantime. The Netherlands is now part of the European EuroHPC network, which means that Dutch companies and researchers can submit projects that utilize computing power from AI factories elsewhere in Europe, such as in Finland or Italy.
During the Dutch AI Congress 2026, Edwin Kuipers, Coordinator of the Dutch AI Factory at AIC4NL, provided an update. He discussed the schedule, the allocation of capacity and budget, and demonstrated how companies and researchers can get started right away.
Approximately 1,800 GPUs
The Dutch supercomputer will be located in Groningen and will consist of approximately 1,800high-end GPUs(Graphics Processing Units), which are designed for training large models. These powerful AI chips will be interconnected so that they function together as a single large computer.
The project is funded with €200 million from three sources: the European Union (via EuroHPC), the Dutch national government, and the province of Groningen. The funds are allocated roughly in the following proportions: 50% for computing power, 40% for staffing, and 10% for energy costs.
The AI Factory’s center of expertise will launch in the near future. Among other things, it will support companies and researchers with the technical groundwork required to use the AI Factory: properly parallelizing software, scaling projects up to the EuroHPC level, and getting accustomed to what such an environment demands of a team.
Capacity allocation
The facility places a strong focus on innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a particular emphasis on energy, healthcare, the manufacturing industry, and agri-food. Academic research and collaboration with research institutions and the government are part of this approach, but the emphasis is on organizations that are developing concrete applications using AI.
Half of the capacity of the Dutch AI facility is reserved for other European countries. This is a requirement of EuroHPC, and the reason why the Netherlands can now also make use of other AI facilities in Europe. Of the Dutch half, 23% goes to the northern Netherlands and 27% to the rest of the country.
RD&T, sovereignty, and electricity
The AI Factory will serve as an RD&T environment: research, development, and testing. Once a model is ready for commercial production, it must be transferred to a commercial infrastructure. Behind this initiative lies the ambition of digital sovereignty. European companies should not be entirely dependent on third parties for training their models and managing their intellectual property. The hardware remains under European ownership and will not be resold to commercial parties. The factory’s power consumption must not lead to additional grid congestion for homes and businesses in the Groningen area. Sustainability and the reuse of residual heat have been incorporated into the design.
Get started right away: three application categories
Requests for European computing time are submitted through the regular calls on the EuroHPC website. There are three categories:
Playgroundis the accessible entry point: requests for up to 5,000 GPU-hours, designed to help scale up projects and get accustomed to high-performance computing. The application process takes very little time; you’ll hear back within a few days to find out if you can get started. A consortium is not required. This is the logical first step for teams that have never run on an HPC environment before.
The Fast Lane is intendedfor projects that are already underway and have reached the limits of their current environment. Requests typically range from 5,000 to 50,000 GPU-hours. Review rounds take place every two months. The application requires a well-reasoned plan and a realistic estimate of the required computing time.
The Large Scale categoryis intended for large-scale training projects with demonstrable expertise: more than 50,000 GPU-hours. Here, you will often find applications from consortia in the triple helix. However, smaller consortia consisting of just a few companies are also permitted.These rounds involve alonger and more rigorous evaluation process. In addition, there are periodic closed calls on specific themes.
Use is free in all categories, subject to European funding rules. The center of expertise is available to provide guidance, from preparation through to scaling up the first run.
View all EuroHPC calls here: https://access.eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/
