The European Commission announced a €1 billion plan to advance its artificial intelligence capabilities and reduce foreign dependency. Concurrently, U.S. firm Anthropic is expanding into Asia by opening a new office in India to deploy its technology.
The commission will direct the €1 billion ($1.17 billion) funding into a two-pronged strategy focused on boosting AI adoption. This plan will support European research into frontier models and agents and facilitate the implementation of new technologies within the public and private sectors. The initiative is part of the bloc’s effort to catch up with industry leaders in the U.S. and China.
A primary goal is to diminish the European Union’s reliance on foreign technologies. According to The Wall Street Journal, one strategy document states that “External dependencies of the AI stack that can be weaponized… make it crucial for the European Union to step up its efforts.” This approach seeks to mitigate supply-chain risks posed by state and non-state actors.
In a separate development, U.S.-based Anthropic is establishing a new office in India, a country that represents the second-highest global user base for its Claude model after the United States. Staffed with local AI talent, the new office will partner with Indian entities to apply artificial intelligence in sectors including education, healthcare, and agriculture.
