The initiative was unveiled at the Élysée as part of the AI Action Summit in Paris, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, and was discussed with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Heads of State and Government of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.

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Accelerate Europe’s leadership in AI

This is the first time that European leaders from across countries, industry, technology, and policy unite to create a functional flywheel to accelerate Europe’s leadership in AI – by framing a positive, ambitious vision for Europe, mobilizing talent and capital and thereby accelerating AI adoption across the European industry. All participating companies are united by the conviction that presenting a cohesive market opportunity to the entrepreneurial ecosystem will create self-reinforcing mechanisms of building new technology companies and enhancing global leadership positions of Europe’s established industries, together driving economic growth and social prosperity in Europe.

A drastically simplified AI regulatory framework

In order to fully enable the creation and adoption of AI in Europe, the initiative also seeks to engage collaboratively and constructively with the European Commission and member state governments to create a drastically simplified AI regulatory framework that unlocks local innovation and global leadership, supporting existing efforts to launch a comprehensive AI Strategy for Europe. The first discussion on necessary action items with a select group of CEOs and the above mentioned politicians will take place immediately following the unveiling of the initiative as part of the AI Action Summit in Paris. The following day, technology executives from participating companies will convene to begin strategizing on accelerating AI adoption and fostering a local ecosystem of AI infrastructure, aimed at enhancing value capture across the continent

“By seizing this moment, working with greater intention, and embracing deep co laboration, Europe can seize a generational opportunity by leading in applied AI, integrating it into our industrial base to boost productivity, resilience, and economic sovereignty, especially in key sectors like manufacturing, energy, healthcare and defence,” says Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, Managing Director and Head of Europe at General Catalyst, who has been entrusted with coordinating the groundwork for the EU AI Champions Initiative to establish the foundational elements needed for a productive dialogue at the AI Action Summit and beyond. “Europe has all the essentials for a resilient and competitive AI infrastructure: talent, capital, and a strong industrial backbone with proprietary distribution and data. With the commitment of over 60 leading European companies, we must harness these resources to unlock a functional flywheel between technology, capital, and policy,” she added.

International investors earmarked EUR 150 billion for AI in Europe

When Europe succeeds in creating a transparent and targeted, competition-driven AI framework with viable investment opportunities, more than 20 international key capital allocators, including Balderton, Blackstone, CVC, DST Global, EQT, General Catalyst, Insight, KKR, Lightspeed, and Warburg Pincus, stand ready to spend EUR 150 billion new capital and previously raised funds for AI-related opportunities in Europe over the next five years. These investments span a wide range of sectors, including AI technology companies, businesses applying AI to enhance their operations, and the critical infrastructure that supports AI, such as energy and data centers. The capital highlights the immense potential for AI transformation in the region and will attract even more talent and capital, accelerating AI adoption across European industries.

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About the ‘EU AI Champions Initiative’ 

The EU AI Champions Initiative brings together more than 60 ambitious businesses committed to establishing Europe as a global leader in AI development and application. The initiative aims to frame a positive shared vision for Europe by mobilizing talent and capital, accelerating AI adoption in established industries, and increasing European companies’ competitiveness. Led by General Catalyst, our mission is to foster a resilient partnership between incumbents and technology providers to unlock Europe’s full potential in AI. The EU AI Champions Initiative was established in partnership with Adyen, Airbus, Airbus Defence & Space, Alan, Artemis Holding, ASML, Autone, Axa, Black Forest Labs, Bonnier Group, BNP Paribas, Celonis, CMA CGM, Cradle, Dassault Systèmes, Dataiku, Deel, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Telekom, E.ON, EDF, ElevenLabs, Ethon AI, Exor, Flix, Franke Group, GetYourGuide, Giesecke & Devrient, Heineken, Helsing, Henkel, Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, Infineon, Kering, L’Oréal Groupe, Langdock, Loft Orbital, Loh Gruppe, Lufthansa, Mercedes-Benz, Mistral AI, N26, Novo Nordisk, On, Orange Group, Owkin, Parloa, Pelico, Personio, Philips, Photoroom, Pigment, Porsche, Publicis, Ravensburger, Robco, SAAB AB, SAP, Schwarz, Shift Technology, Siemens AG, Siemens Energy, Spotify, Superce l, Sword, Tom Tom, TotalEnergies, United Internet, Volkswagen Group, Wallenberg Investments, and ZF.