In a move that signals a major push for European technological sovereignty, Karim Beguir, the Tunisian-born founder of the AI pioneer InstaDeep, is joining forces with a prominent former European finance minister to launch a groundbreaking initiative: a dedicated European hub for AI computing power and sustainable energy.
The ambitious project, details of which are still being finalized, aims to address what experts call Europe’s critical “compute deficit”—its growing dependence on non-European, primarily American and Asian, providers for the vast processing power required to train and run advanced artificial intelligence.
Beguir, whose company InstaDeep was acquired by German biotech giant BioNTech last year for £562 million, brings first-hand experience of scaling a cutting-edge AI firm within Europe. His partner, a respected former finance minister from a major EU economy who has requested anonymity until official announcements are made, provides the high-level political and financial network crucial for an undertaking of this scale and cost.
Bridging the Power Gap
The initiative, tentatively dubbed “The Europa Compute Initiative,” has two intertwined objectives. First, to directly invest in and deploy a network of state-of-the-art, energy-efficient data centres across strategic locations in the European Union. These would be equipped with next-generation AI accelerators and offer compute capacity as a service to European startups, research institutions, and enterprises.
Second, and critically, the plan involves securing dedicated, sustainable energy sources to power these facilities. The ex-minister’s deep connections within European energy policy and infrastructure circles are seen as key to negotiating long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with renewable energy providers, potentially even partnering directly on new green energy projects.
“The AI race is not just an algorithmic race; it’s a race for compute, and compute is fundamentally a race for energy,” said a source close to the planning. “Europe has the scientific talent, from DeepMind in London to Mistral in Paris. But we are handing over our most promising models to be trained on infrastructure outside our jurisdiction, under foreign laws. This project is about reclaiming that foundational layer.”
A Strategic Imperative
The push comes amid escalating geopolitical tension over control of critical technologies. The EU’s own AI Act emphasizes governance and ethics, but lawmakers have increasingly voiced concerns about the bloc’s lack of hardware muscle. The European Commission has acknowledged the issue, with recent proposals for a “European AI Factory,” but private initiatives like Beguir’s aim to move faster.
“This is exactly the kind of public-private partnership muscle Europe needs to flex,” said Dr. Elina Kostiainen, a tech geostrategy analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “It combines entrepreneurial audacity with political heft. The former minister understands capital allocation and regulatory levers; Beguir understands what builders actually need. If they can attract sovereign wealth and pension fund investment, it could be a game-changer.”
Challenges on the Horizon
The hurdles are formidable. Building hyperscale data centres is a capital-intensive endeavour, likely requiring billions in investment. Competition for advanced AI chips from industry leaders like NVIDIA remains fierce, with global supply chains still constrained. Furthermore, Europe’s fragmented regulatory landscape across 27 member states could complicate site selection and permitting.
There is also the question of competing national interests within the EU. The founders are reportedly stressing the “European” nature of the hub, with a distributed model likely to avoid perceptions of favouring any single country.
When contacted, a spokesperson for Karim Beguir confirmed he is “exploring several strategic projects aimed at strengthening Europe’s AI infrastructure ecosystem” but declined to comment on specifics or partners. The former minister was unavailable for comment.
Industry observers, however, confirm that advanced talks are underway with potential anchor tenants from the pharmaceutical, automotive, and aerospace sectors, all of which are hungry for sovereign, secure AI compute.
As the global AI landscape consolidates around a few tech giants, the InstaDeep founder and his ally are betting that Europe’s future in the age of artificial intelligence depends on building its own engine room. Their success or failure could well determine whether the continent remains a competitive player or becomes a permanent digital dependency.
TunisianMonitorOnline (NejiMed)
