France and the Czech Republic sign a strategic agreement on AI and digital technology to serve European sovereignty

This agreement marks a new step in strengthening the Franco-Czech partnership and reflects the shared ambition of both countries to contribute to the development of a sovereign, competitive, and open European artificial intelligence.

It pursues four priority objectives:

• Asserting a shared strategic ambition in artificial intelligence by strengthening coordination between the two governments and promoting bilateral cooperation;
• Supporting the development of sovereign technologies, particularly in the field of AI, to enhance Europe's strategic autonomy and technological competitiveness;
• Promoting a coordinated approach within the framework of the European "AI Gigafactories" initiative, led by the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC), notably by coordinating the efforts of both countries for the European call for projects;
• Ensuring long-term cooperation by designating permanent points of contact within the administrations of both countries, tasked with facilitating exchanges and supporting the development of joint projects.

A first concrete industrial partnership to serve European AI ambitions On the occasion of this signing, the two ministers also welcomed the conclusion of an industrial agreement between the Czech company České Radiokomunikace (CRA) and the French company Bull.

This partnership provides for Bull's integration into the consortium responsible for supporting the Czech candidacy in the call for projects organized by EuroHPC for the co-financing of "AI Gigafactories" in Europe.

Supported by the French and Czech governments, this collaboration represents a first concrete achievement of bilateral cooperation and demonstrates the ability of European industrial players to combine their expertise to develop strategic infrastructures for artificial intelligence.

Through this dual progress-both political and industrial-France and the Czech Republic reaffirm their commitment to a more integrated, sovereign, and competitive European AI ecosystem.

Anne Le Hénanff, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence, stated:

"I am delighted with this new step in strengthening our cooperation with the Czech Republic in the field of artificial intelligence. This agreement reflects our shared commitment to building a sovereign, open, and interoperable European artificial intelligence, leveraging the industrial and technological strengths of our two countries. The partnership concluded between CRA and Bull is a first concrete example of this. It demonstrates that European cooperation can translate into structuring industrial projects, serving our competitiveness and strategic autonomy."

Karel Havlíček, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, stated :

« We want Czech businesses and researchers to have access to the computing capacity and technologies they need to develop and use artificial intelligence. Cooperation with France opens up opportunities for joint projects and strengthens our ambition to establish an AI gigafactory in the Czech Republic. The partnership between České Radiokomunikace and Bull is a concrete example, bringing together Czech and French industrial expertise. Our goal is to strengthen the competitiveness of the Czech economy and contribute to Europe's technological sovereignty."

Press contact: Office of Anne Le Hénanff: +33 1 53 18 43 07 - [email protected]