Published 2026-10-21 · Event 2026-10-21 · The editorial team

Riksdag clears Swedish co-funding of up to EUR 50 million for EU AI gigafactories

On 21 October 2026 the Riksdag authorised the government to enter financial commitments in agreements on computing capacity linked to EuroHPC's procurement of AI gigafactories. For Sweden, the commitment is up to EUR 50 million over five years. The decision buys access to compute; it does not place a data centre in Sweden.

The Riksdag decided on 21 October 2026 that the government, or the agency the government designates, may enter financial commitments on behalf of the state in agreements on computing capacity. The agreements follow from the procurement of so-called AI gigafactories by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU). The chamber approved the Committee on Finance's proposal in report 2026/27:FiU12. The Riksdag's case record states that the decision was taken by acclamation.

According to the report, participating member states commit in advance to co-finance the procurements in return for access to future computing capacity. For Sweden this means a commitment of up to EUR 50 million in total over a five-year period, with the option of further voluntary commitments.

The report says the joint procurement agreement is a financial commitment for the state and requires the Riksdag's approval where necessary. The pledge is to be financed by reprioritising within previously estimated appropriations. The commitment is judged to fit within existing and estimated administrative appropriations, provided that funds are reprioritised compared with the 2026 budget bill.

The proposal was a committee initiative, raised in the Committee on Finance rather than in a government bill or a member's motion. The committee finalised the report on 20 October and proposed that the matter could be decided even though the report had been available for less than two working days. Because of the short preparation time, other committees were not given the opportunity to comment.

The Riksdag describes AI gigafactories as large facilities for developing, training and running advanced AI systems. The decision concerns buying access to computing capacity. It is not a decision to build or locate a data centre in Sweden, and the report does not say where the facilities will be. DataCenterSweden therefore adds no entry to its project register on the basis of this decision.

Why it matters

The decision lets the Swedish state commit money to the EU procurement of AI gigafactories, a channel for very large AI computing capacity. It says nothing about location, power or grid connection, so it changes no site in the register.

What remains unknown

The report does not name the agency that will sign the agreements, when the procurement will be decided, how many AI gigafactories will be procured, where they will be located, whether any will be in Sweden, or what power and grid connection they will need.

Sources