Vienna is fighting for AI gigafactory: 5 billion for the future!

Vienna is fighting for AI gigafactory: 5 billion for the future!

Wien, Österreich - The discussion about the future of Vienna as a location for a European “Ai gigafactory” picks up speed. On June 20, 2025, Mayor Michael Ludwig emphasized that the opportunities for Vienna to receive one of the promising settlements of AI factories are very good. According to a report by meinzirk.at plans the construction of up to five such gigafactories in various Europeans Cities. These state-of-the-art systems are intended to serve the development, Training and operation of AI models and are central to the competitiveness of Europe in the digital age.

Mayor Ludwig received support from Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker and other politicians, and together they signed Vienna's application for the AI ​​gigafactory. The EU initiated this step as part of its strategy to strengthen digital sovereignty and competitiveness.

energy efficiency in focus

An important aspect of the application is the planned energy concept in Vienna. The gigafactories require a considerable amount of energy, and Vienna plans to obtain almost 100% of this energy from alternative sources. An innovative part of the concept provides to feed the waste heat of the server into the existing district heating network, which represents a dolle form of use - the server heat not only helps with cooling the systems, but also heats households in the city.

"We have a good hand to use the downward useful," said Ludwig. As part of the program, leading technology companies from Austria are also committed to positioning Vienna as a location for one of these gigafactories. As wien.gv.at , the application is divided into three columns: an environmental and climate-friendly sustainability concept, socially just technology use as well as Vienna's central turntable function in Europe.

investments and economic effects

The expected investments in the Gigafactory amount to up to five billion euros, with 65% of this sum from the private sector and up to 35% of public funds. The exact costs will be announced after the award was awarded. "It is important to form a strong consortium from public and private partners," said Innovation Minister Peter Hanke.

These gigafactories are not only important for Vienna, they are considered dynamic ecosystems for innovation and cooperation in the AI ​​area. These facilities combine computing power, data and talents to promote significant progress in various sectors such as health, production, climate and finance. the EU plans to put at least 15 AI factories into operation, whereby Vienna would like to exhaust all options in order to become part of this future-oriented project.

The selection process for the Gigafactories is deepened in the fourth quarter of 2025 and the completion is planned for 2028. It remains exciting to observe whether Vienna can prevail in this competition and what role it will play in future AI development in Europe.