Europe’s efforts to strengthen its artificial intelligence infrastructure have taken a decisive step with the signing of a major procurement contract to upgrade the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer.
The European High Performance Computing Joint Venture (EuroHPC JU) has confirmed an agreement with a consortium led by FSAS Technologies and Telefonica, setting the stage for a major transformation of one of Europe’s flagship supercomputers.
Hosted and operated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), MareNostrum 5 is a core pillar of the BSC AI Factory initiative.
With the contract signed, the project enters a new phase, rebuilding the system into a purpose-built platform for advanced AI research and innovation.
From supercomputing powerhouse to AI specialist
Since April 2025, BSC AI Factory has supported European startups and SMEs by helping them access AI-enabled data, high-performance computing resources, and expert technical guidance.
The MareNostrum 5 upgrade is designed to directly support this mission, evolving the system from a general-purpose supercomputer to an AI-optimized environment capable of handling the most demanding workloads.
The enhanced MareNostrum 5 features a next-generation graphics processing unit designed for large-scale machine learning and specialized acceleration hardware suitable for deep learning, natural language processing, and advanced simulation.
High-speed interconnect technology enables rapid data movement across the system, and expanded storage capacity allows researchers to efficiently work with large data sets.
Energy-efficient cooling solutions will also be implemented to ensure sustainability as the computational load increases.
Supporting innovation across key sectors
The upgraded MareNostrum 5 is primarily aimed at serving start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises involved in research and innovation, but will continue to be available to the broader scientific community.
Resource allocation will be jointly managed by the EuroHPC JU and BSC AI Factory consortium, reflecting their respective financial contributions and strategic priorities.
The system is expected to benefit a wide range of sectors including health, climate science, agriculture, finance, energy, communications, legal services and the public sector.
The project aims to reduce the barrier to entry for small organizations without access to large-scale computing resources by providing a customized AI infrastructure.
Installation schedule and financing framework
Installation of the upgraded MareNostrum 5 is scheduled to begin in early 2026. The broader BSC AI Factory project has a total budget of approximately €129 million, including acquisition, delivery, installation and ongoing maintenance.
Funding will be divided equally between EuroHPC JU and participating national partners. Half of the investment comes from the Digital Europe Programme, and the remaining 50% is co-funded by Spain, Portugal and Turkiye as part of the BSC AI Factory consortium.
Part of Europe’s growing AI network
The BSC AI Factory is one node in a rapidly expanding European network. EuroHPC JU currently oversees the deployment of 19 AI factories across the continent, all offering free customized support to startups and SMEs.
This network will be further enhanced with 13 AI Factory antennas selected in October 2025, increasing reach and impact.
With the MareNostrum 5 upgrade currently underway, Europe is demonstrating its intention to combine world-class supercomputing with accessible innovation infrastructure to remain competitive in the global AI landscape.
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