For years, the AI industry has focused on models, capabilities and software breakthroughs.
Recently, a different aspect of the market came into focus.
Anthropic announced a major infrastructure initiative expected to support up to 20 gigawatts of AI computing capacity by 2028, beginning with an initial deployment of approximately one gigawatt. The programme, backed by Apollo, Blackstone and Broadcom, is expected to involve investments of up to $35 billion.
While much of the attention focused on Anthropic’s latest AI models, the infrastructure announcement may prove equally significant. It reflects a broader shift taking place across the AI industry as companies invest heavily in compute capacity, data centres and energy infrastructure.
The conversation is expanding beyond software.
Increasingly, it is also about the infrastructure required to build and operate AI systems at scale.
Compute Is Becoming A Strategic Resource
As AI models become more capable, the demand for computing power continues to increase.
Training and deploying advanced AI systems requires specialised chips, large-scale data centres, cooling systems and significant amounts of electricity.
According to the International Energy Agency, global electricity consumption from data centres is expected to more than double by 2030, driven largely by AI workloads. The organisation estimates that data centres could consume around 945 terawatt-hours of electricity by 2030, highlighting the growing energy demands of AI infrastructure.
As a result, access to compute capacity is becoming an increasingly important consideration for technology companies, cloud providers and governments alike.
Europe’s Infrastructure Expansion Is Accelerating
The development comes as Europe continues to increase investment in AI infrastructure.
Earlier this year, the European Commission launched InvestAI, a €200 billion initiative that includes €20 billion dedicated to AI gigafactories and large-scale computing infrastructure designed to support researchers, startups and industrial applications.
At the same time, EuroHPC has begun rolling out AI Factories across Europe, connecting supercomputing resources with businesses, research institutions and public sector organisations.
The objective is clear: strengthen Europe's ability to develop, train and deploy AI using infrastructure located within the region, reducing dependence on external computing capacity.
Energy Is Becoming Part Of The AI Discussion
As AI adoption grows, energy is becoming an increasingly important part of the conversation.
Several European markets have already experienced growing pressure around data centre expansion, grid capacity and power availability. Governments are balancing demand for digital infrastructure with broader objectives around sustainability, energy security and industrial competitiveness.
This does not mean Europe lacks the ability to compete in AI.
However, it does mean that future competitiveness will depend on more than software innovation alone.
Infrastructure capacity, energy availability and long-term investment are becoming increasingly important components of the AI ecosystem.
Europe’s Industrial Advantage
This shift may also align with some of Europe’s existing strengths.
The region remains a global leader in engineering, industrial systems, advanced manufacturing, energy technologies and scientific research.
As AI becomes more deeply integrated into industry, these capabilities are likely to play a larger role in determining where investment flows and how new technologies are deployed.
Rather than focusing solely on consumer AI applications, Europe is increasingly investing in the infrastructure required to support industrial and scientific use cases at scale.
Where This Converges: GITEX AI EUROPE
Many of the developments shaping Europe's technology agenda today are becoming central themes across GITEX AI Europe.
As AI adoption accelerates, discussions are increasingly moving beyond models and applications to include compute capacity, data centres, cloud infrastructure, energy resilience and sovereign AI capabilities.
Anthropic's latest announcement is one example of a broader shift already influencing investment strategies, government policy and infrastructure planning across the technology sector.
From AI Factories and next-generation data centres to industrial AI, cloud platforms and Europe's long-term competitiveness, industry leaders, policymakers and technology innovators are increasingly focused on the infrastructure required to support AI at scale.