A hundred days after the Paris Summit on artificial intelligence, the French consortium Oréus has officially announced its launch and the upcoming commissioning of a next-generation computing center, located near Grenoble. The infrastructure, set to house 8,500 GPUs by summer 2025, aims to position itself among the most powerful European computing centers dedicated to AI.
According to its promoters, this project represents an investment of over 800 million euros. It is part of a technological reindustrialization dynamic, with the stated goal of strengthening European sovereignty in artificial intelligence and computing capabilities.
A French Initiative with European Ambitions
The Oréus consortium presents itself as an alliance of French players, including former minister Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, Unitel Group president Kévin Polizzi, as well as several entrepreneurs and digital infrastructure specialists. The operational management is led by Laurent Choukroun, also president of the group L'Épopée.
One of the key elements of the project is a strategic partnership with CORE42, a subsidiary of the Emirati company G42, specializing in AI technologies and high-performance computing solutions. This Franco-Emirati collaboration raises questions about the very definition of technological sovereignty, while illustrating a form of international cooperation in a geopolitical context marked by the race for AI infrastructure.
A Project Structured Around Four Pillars
The press release issued by Oréus highlights four structuring axes of the project:
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Next-generation AI supercomputers, designed for the most intensive computing uses.
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A hybrid energy supply, combining nuclear, renewable energies, and heat recovery.
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Territorial campuses, aimed at bringing training, innovation, and employment closer to these infrastructures.
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A replicable model in Europe, intended to support the development of a distributed European AI industry.
While technical details remain to be specified (types of GPUs, network capacities, access governance, pricing conditions, etc.), Oréus aims to be a tool serving research actors, industry, public services, and healthcare.
A Response to the Call for Digital Sovereignty
This project is in line with Emmanuel Macron's call last February, urging to make France "the technological backbone" of European AI. It also comes amid a strong global demand for computing capacities adapted to the explosion of generative AI models and associated industrial uses.
To Be Continued
It remains to be seen how this new infrastructure will be effectively operated, what the access criteria will be for French startups, researchers, and companies, and to what extent it will help reduce the current dependence on North American hyperscalers.
ActuIA will closely follow the developments of the Oréus project, as well as the concrete implications of this initiative for the European AI ecosystem.
Translated from Le consortium OREUS annonce la mise en service d’un des plus puissants centres de calcul d’Europe
To better understand
How does the partnership with CORE42, a subsidiary of the Emirati company G42, influence the European technological sovereignty vision of the Oréus project?
The partnership with CORE42 illustrates a shared sovereignty approach, where European technological independence is balanced with strategic international collaborations, reflecting current geopolitical complexities.
What are the potential regulatory implications of a Franco-Emirati partnership within the framework of an artificial intelligence project in Europe?
A Franco-Emirati partnership could raise questions about compliance with European data protection and security standards, requiring clarification of legal responsibilities and compliance checks between partner entities.