Accessing EuroHPC JU AI Factories

The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) is a European initiative that enables participating countries to procure and acquire access to some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. These systems — including JUPITER in Germany, LEONARDO in Italy, LUMI in Finland, and MareNostrum5 in Spain — are jointly funded by the European Union, participating countries, and industry. One of their mission statements is “to develop and operate AI Factories located around EuroHPC supercomputing facilities to support the growth of a highly competitive and innovative AI ecosystem in Europe”.

To accommodate different user needs and levels of experience, EuroHPC JU provides several access tracks through its AI Factories:

Playground Access

The Playground track is the simplest way to get started. It provides a lightweight entry point for experimentation and early testing of workflows. This access is ideal for SMEs, startups, and commercial companies who want to explore the system before committing to a larger project.
Playground users receive 5,000 GPU hours and access is granted quickly — often within a few days. Projects can run for up to three months, giving applicants time to familiarise themselves with the environment and test their AI workloads.

Fast Lane Access

The Fast Lane track is aimed at users who already have some experience working on EuroHPC systems. It offers between 10,000 and 50,000 GPU hours for more advanced experiments or compute-intense R&D. Access is usually granted within a week, and like the Playground, it is valid for up to three months. This track is a good choice for organisations that have completed initial testing and are ready to scale up their work.

Large Scale Access

For projects that need more extensive compute resources or longer execution periods, the Large Scale track provides access for up to twelve months, with a larger and pre-agreed number of GPU hours. These applications undergo a more detailed review process, and approvals generally take around two weeks after the bi-weekly cut-off (i.e. up to 4 weeks in total). This track is particularly suited for ambitious R&D projects and collaborative initiatives involving multiple partners.

Beyond these main categories, EuroHPC JU also issues specific access calls for larger projects, consortia, or research institutes. These calls are published regularly on the EuroHPC JU website, where applicants can find full details and deadlines, such as the AI for Science and Collaborative EU Projects track.

When applying, it’s important to describe your project clearly — outlining your objectives, expected computational needs, ethical considerations, and potential impact. The application process is designed to be accessible, even for first-time users.

To help new applicants, we provide a sample Playground application as a downloadable cheat sheet. You can use it as a reference when preparing your own submission.

Whether you are exploring a prototype AI model or preparing large-scale industrial training runs, the EuroHPC JU AI Factories  offer a clear path to Europe’s most advanced computing resources — from experimentation to production-scale innovation.