Ministry of Energy to have coordinating role in implementation of Black Sea AI Gigafactory project

The Ministry of Energy is expected to play a coordinating role for the implementation of the national project to establish the Black Sea Artificial Intelligence Gigafactory, according to a memorandum adopted during Government's meeting."The memorandum approved by the Government proposes that the Ministry of Energy take over the role of coordinator for the implementation of the national project to establish the Black Sea Artificial Intelligence Gigafactory (Black Sea AI Gigafactory Romania), an infrastructure that is to be developed based on nuclear energy and for which Romania has expressed its interest and willingness to host it, as part of a strategic European initiative aimed at strengthening technological sovereignty and continental capacities in the field of artificial intelligence, in full compliance with the AI Act and the European Union's objectives regarding technological sovereignty," a release from the Government reads.After consultations with the Ministry of Energy and Nuclearelectrica, the Romanian Digitalization Authority has sent an expression of interest to the European Commission to host the Black Sea AI Gigafactory.The project envisages the installation of over 100,000 AI accelerators in two locations: Cernavoda (Phase I) and Doicesti (Phase II), both selected for their "strategic advantages in terms of energy, digital infrastructure" and access to international connectivity, the Government reports."The project will be powered by an energy mix of up to a maximum of 1,500 MW, thus offering Romania the opportunity to position itself as a strategic center for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, respecting the environment, with nuclear energy without carbon emissions," the release adds.The Black Sea AI Gigafactory Romania National Project is estimated to require an investment of 4-5 billion euros and will be operational by the end of 2028."Public authorities - both at EU and national level - can finance up to 35% of the total CAPEX, with the majority of the financing needing to be mobilized through private partners/investors, national development banks (in Romania's case, the IDB) and institutional investors. The public contribution required for the project will be included in the budget expenditures to ensure compliance with Romania's commitments in accordance with the Medium-Term Fiscal Plan agreed with the European Commission," the document also states.