OpenAI urges EU to triple AI computing capacity by 2030

OpenAI has published a policy roadmap for Europe that calls for increasing the EU's computing capacity by at least 300% by 2030 and for training 100 million Europeans in foundational AI skills over the same timeframe. The document, released today under the name EU Economic Blueprint, lays out four principles and a set of concrete proposals designed, in OpenAI's words, to ensure that AI is "developed and deployed by Europe, in Europe, for Europe."

The Blueprint arrives at a moment of intense debate over Europe's position in the global AI race. The EU has positioned itself as the world's leading AI regulator through the AI Act, while critics—including former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, whose report OpenAI cites—argue that the bloc's regulatory complexity is holding back investment and competitiveness. OpenAI, which is simultaneously lobbying European policymakers and facing regulatory scrutiny of its own, is now putting specific numbers on what it thinks Europe should do.

Four principles

The Blueprint organizes its argument around four principles.

The first calls on Europe to "establish and grow the foundations needed for sustained AI growth—chips, data, energy, and talent." OpenAI frames these inputs as decisive: "Chips, data, energy, and talent are the keys to winning in AI—and this is a race in which Europe can and must compete." In the AI era, the company argues, these fundamental inputs will determine global leadership, and Europe must secure and develop them to protect its prosperity and competitive edge.

The second principle addresses regulation directly. Citing the Draghi report, OpenAI says Europe's regulatory environment is often too complex. The company recommends that EU policymakers focus on reducing barriers within the single market by simplifying the digital rulebook, eliminating redundant or obsolete proposals, and harmonizing rules to attract the investment necessary to develop and support cutting-edge AI.

The third principle pushes for widespread adoption. "Increasing AI access and literacy is essential to ensure that AI has a positive impact on European businesses, large and small, public services and wider society," the Blueprint states. OpenAI argues that the skills to navigate, work with, and shape AI technologies are key to ensuring that AI improves the lives of all EU citizens and the bloc's competitiveness.

The fourth principle deals with responsible development. OpenAI says the EU and the AI industry must work hand in hand so that users "can confidently trust the products for themselves and their families" as AI tools become part of Europeans' daily lives. The company also stresses empowering individuals to meaningfully control and personalize AI tools according to their specific needs and preferences. "Building this trust is crucial to ensure that AI is embraced widely and benefits everyone in society," the Blueprint reads.

Four concrete proposals

Beyond the principles, OpenAI offers what it describes as "adoption-focused ideas as starting points" for EU policymakers.

The AI Compute Scaling Plan is the most headline-grabbing item. It calls for increasing the EU's computing capacity by at least 300% by 2030, with a clear focus on low-latency, geographically distributed infrastructure optimized for inference—as a complement to the AI factories the EU is building with a focus on training. The distinction matters: training infrastructure concentrates enormous compute in a few large facilities, while inference—the act of running trained models for users—benefits from being spread closer to where demand sits.

The AI Accelerator Fund proposal calls for launching a dedicated €1 billion fund to rapidly finance pilot projects demonstrating clear societal or economic value from AI.

The 100 Million AI Citizens initiative would train 100 million Europeans in foundational AI skills by 2030 through freely accessible online courses in all official EU languages.

The Youth Digital Agency in AI Initiative proposes an EU-funded program supporting the development of AI applications co-designed with young people. OpenAI suggests this could involve participatory design sprints with educational institutions, youth councils, and child safety organizations to build features that reflect young people's needs and values.

Why OpenAI says Europe is ready

The Blueprint grounds its argument in adoption data points OpenAI presents as evidence of European momentum. Researchers at European laboratories and universities like the Max Planck Society in Germany and Sciences Po in France are already using the technology, the company notes. ChatGPT Edu has been rolled out to schools in Estonia. And Germany is home to the largest number of API developers building on OpenAI's technology outside of the US.

OpenAI frames the stakes broadly. AI can drive new scientific breakthroughs, make education more inclusive, boost productivity, power businesses large and small, and unlock new forms of creativity, the company argues. "But to secure these tremendous gains at scale, Europe must act with both urgency and purpose," the Blueprint warns.

The document also works to align itself with European political identity. It says the Blueprint "champions the entrepreneurial spirit, scientific excellence, and individual freedoms at the heart of Europe, as well as the EU's commitment to social inclusion and fundamental rights." That framing signals OpenAI's effort to present itself as a constructive partner to Brussels rather than an outside challenger to the bloc's regulatory model—although the call for simplifying the digital rulebook makes clear where the company sees friction.

A living document

OpenAI describes the Blueprint as a living document that it will update as AI technology evolves and as it learns from working with governments across Europe. "We will continue to update our principles as we learn from working with governments across Europe on how to thoughtfully steward AI technology for the public good," the company says.

To that end, OpenAI is holding a series of AI economics events across Europe to gather insights and feedback that will inform its policy recommendations. Events have already taken place in Brussels and Paris, with more planned soon in Warsaw and Munich.

The stakes, as OpenAI presents them, extend beyond economic metrics. The company says Europe can harness AI to solve "the greatest challenges of our time—from improving healthcare and education to enabling the green transition." The full set of recommendations is available in the EU Economic Blueprint document published on OpenAI's site.

Whether EU policymakers adopt any of the proposals remains an open question. The 300% compute target and the €1 billion fund would require significant political commitment and budget allocations from member states and EU institutions. The regulatory simplification ask, meanwhile, lands in an ongoing argument about whether Europe's rulebook constrains or enables its AI sector—one that Draghi's report has already pushed to the center of the EU's competitiveness agenda. With events in Warsaw and Munich still to come, OpenAI has signaled it intends to keep feeding its recommendations into that debate rather than file the Blueprint away.