AI GigaFactory Vienna
Austria's capital, Vienna, is throwing its hat in the ring to host one of the EU's five planned AI GigaFactories. This forward-looking move is a clear sign to Europe, and the world, that Vienna is defining the future of technology and the digital landscape.
What makes Vienna best placed to host such a factory?
- The city boasts a solid AI landscape, with 23 data centres and the new ‘AI Factory Austria’ already in place
- With one of the largest district heating networks in Europe, Vienna will utilise waste heat from the Factory and integrate it into the district heating system
- Vienna has excellent fibre optic connections, international internet exchange points and is an established telecommunications location
- Overwhelming support from institutions and politicians on both a local and national scale, as well as from cities in neighbouring countries
- It is geopolitically stable, with some of the best infrastructure in the world
- A globally-recognised digital community which understands the importance of protecting the ethics and integrity of using these technologies
- Large demand from private companies
Participate in the needs assessment
The Vienna Business Agency, a service offered by the City of Vienna, has been tasked with coordinating the city's AI GigaFactory application process.
In this context, this needs assessment aims to improve understanding of the current and future demand for computing capacity in and around Vienna. If you are an organisation or company which already uses considerable computing resources or will have the need for significant infrastructure in the future, we would appreciate your participation in this survey.
Take part here: Demand for AI Computing Capacity & AI GigaFactory
Participation is voluntary and all responses are confidential. Thank you for your insights!
What's next for Vienna's bid
What makes Vienna's bid stand out?
Vienna's bid for one of the EU's AI GigaFactories is built on a few key pillars. An important part of the city's identity is its green, sustainable approach to growth, and the GigaFactory would be no exception, doing its part to propel Vienna to climate-neutrality. Its key position in Central Europe makes Vienna a strategic location to allow nearby CEE countries to also use the advanced digital capabilities this factory will provide. Vienna also benefits from excellent digital connectivity - on a key network interconnection point, the city has top fibre optic connections to major cities in Europe. As a stronghold of digital humanism, Vienna is making it clear from the go that humanity and technology must work hand-in-hand. This GigaFactory will be open for many sectors of society and business - from scientists to startups, research companies to civic institutions.
Ecological sustainability: A greener GigaFactory
Vienna has ambitious climate goals and is on a mission to become climate neutral by 2040. Luckily, the city's pioneering attitude to climate protection and adaptation means that it is well-prepared to host such high-performance infrastructure.
- Wiener Stadtwerke, the city's energy provider, is supporting the bid. Hence, Vienna is able to:
- power the facilities with green electricity
- recycle the waste heat produced back into one of the largest, most modern and efficient district heating networks in Europe. Over 100,000 households will be provided with district heating. - Over 90% of the energy needed to operate the AI GigaFactory will come from Austrian sources. The factory will contribute significantly to Vienna's climate strategy, saving more than 200,000 tons of CO2 per year. This concept is unique in Europe, and something Vienna is rightfully proud of.
- The factory can be integrated into an urban area with minimal land usage and maximum energy efficiency.
The feasibility of such a project is already proven in Vienna: the City of Vienna's data centre in Vienna-Donaustadt was the first in Austria to be awarded the Austrian Ecolabel and illustrates how technology and sustainability can go hand in hand.
A central European solution
There's nowhere better for a pan-European project than here in Vienna. Historically, the city has always played an important role in connecting Eastern and Western Europe.
- Home to the only United Nations headquarters within the European Union as well as numerous other international organisations, Vienna is a strategic hub for global diplomacy and innovation.
- The city's advantageous geographic location and institutional stability has enabled it to build strong ties with other cities in the CEE and Western Balkan region, who would be involved with the GigaFactory. In fact, a proportion of the factory's intended use is reserved for international partners.
- Letters of intent from multiple CEE capital cities show the support from the region. The project will contribute to Europe's economic cohesion by integrating the CEE region and potential EU accession candidates.
Digital connectivity
Located at the junctions of all the important data and power lines, and as a transport hub with a stable energy supply, Vienna is central enough to serve Europe's data streams and large enough to support an independent AI ecosystem.
- The GigaFactory will be located on a key network interconnection point. Direct fibre optic paths to Frankfurt, Munich, Prague, Budapest and the Balkans reduce round-trip times to less than 20 ms and hyperscaler backbones already run through Vienna.
- A new 400Gbit/s dark fibre optic connection to Frankfurt is planned to go live in December 2025.
- Vienna already meets the three key requirements for a new European network hub: measurable peering density, clear east-west transit routes and hyperscaler commitment.
- Bilateral networks with Slovakia (SANET), the Czech Republic (CESNET) and Poland (PIONIER) already exist. The Vienna Internet eXchange (VIX) ensures efficient handling of data traffic in Central and Eastern Europe.
The home of digital humanism
Vienna places human needs front and centre - evidenced by the top quality of life residents enjoy. The city aims to become the centre of digital humanism in Europe and works to ensure that all digital developments contribute to the common good, are people-centred and further smart goals, such as climate-neutrality or cybersecurity.
- In May 2025, the Digital Humanism Conference in Vienna brought together leading thinkers, researchers, and innovators to discuss ways to refocus our digital future on people and society.
- The AI GigaFactory will be a testing ground for ethically responsible, value-driven AI applications, implemented according to the Manifesto of Digital Humanism.
- Multi-stakeholder use of the AI GigaFactory by companies, research institutions, administration and civil society will allow broad sectors of society to take advantage of unprecedented digital capabilities.
Vienna's AI Ecosytem
Your contact person for the project:
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A quantum technology hotspot
Vienna is not only a hotspot for artificial intelligence, but also a European center for quantum technology. Institutions such as the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ), the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) and the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the Vienna University of Technology (CAIML) conduct internationally recognized basic and applied research. Currently active Nobel Prize winners include Austrian quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger, who works at IQOQI and the University of Vienna, and Ferenc Krausz, who also conducted research into quantum physics in Vienna.
Relevant reports and papers
Artificial Intelligence Technology Report
This report showcases Vienna's artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and highlights the complexity and dynamics that this technology is developing in our society.
Data Economy Technology Report
This report describes the Viennese data economy ecosystem and explores how corporate data provides the basis for addressing a variety of business challenges.
Quantum Technology in Vienna Report
Explore Vienna's growing ecosystem around quantum research and technologies. Learn more about leading research institutions, innovative companies, and flagship projects that are helping to shape the future of this key technology.
Research and Development in Vienna (2024)
Report about Research and Development in Vienna by the City of Vienna.
Get to know Vienna
Vienna is the fifth largest city in the EU, and over the past decade has seen the 2nd highest growth compared with the ten largest cities in the EU and Bratislava.
There are around 197,000 university students in Vienna, of which 1/3 are international, in 27 institutions of higher learning.
Consistently ranking among the cities with the highest standard of living, Vienna offers excellent healthcare, a safe environment, and well-developed infrastructure.
5.8% of jobs in Vienna are in Research & Development - that's the 4th highest among the 242 EU regions!
Facts & figures about the EU AI GigaFactories
With this GigaFactory, Vienna will help the EU meet its goal of developing regional capacities to increase competitiveness, foster an innovative AI ecosystem within Europe, and maintain digital sovereignty. The high-performance infrastructure is specifically required for training, developing and operating state-of-the-art AI models and will meet the highest standards of data protection, IT security and energy efficiency. | |
| Framework conditions | Planned investment: 4 - 5 billion euros for the construction of one giga data centre. Up to five GigaFactories are planned by the EU.
Over 100,000 specialised AI processors (GPUs) per GigaFactory – many times that of Europe's capacity today
Financing through public-private partnerships – a mixed structure of subsidies, equity capital and private investment
Distribution: at least 65% from the private sector, up to 35% from the public sector (EU/national) |
| Strategic benefits | Focus on mission-critical AI applications in science, industry, health, mobility, climate, etc.
Promotion of trustworthy, open innovation
Equal access to computing power for start-ups, research institutions and smaller companies is also planned
Binding criteria are data protection, energy efficiency and digital sovereignty |