Nvidia to Supply Hardware, Expertise in New Netherlands AI Facility Deal
The Dutch government has made public a new partnership with US chip manufacturer, Nvidia. In this deal, Nvidia will supply Netherlands with hardware and provide the country with the tech expertise to set up an AI supercomputing facility.
The new Netherlands’ AI facility is part of the country’s broader strategy of expanding AI research while contributing to EU efforts to strengthen the digital economy across the region, Reuters reported.
Previous Investments
The Netherlands has been working to enhance its competitiveness in artificial intelligence for some time. In 2024, Netherland’s AI investment amounted to $210 million. The country expected to receive additional funds from European subsidies to boost this investment.
The Dutch government touted the new Nvidia AI partnership saying it’s an important step towards making its plan of setting up a manufacturing plant for production of AI-powered computers a reality.
“Competition is fierce, the whole world is after this technology. This deal brings building a Dutch AI facility a lot closer,’ Dutch Economy Minister Dirk Beljaarts said.
Beljaarts spoke after holding a meeting with representatives from Nvidia in the Silicon Valley. He however did not reveal the specific details of the Netherlands Nvidia partnership.
Big Ambitions
Like the Netherlands, a host of countries across Europe have big tech ambitions. This places Nvidia in a very strategic position, allowing it to choose which governments and entities to cooperate with and supply its equipment to.
Netherlands is keen on leveraging Nvidia’s strategic positioning to build its own AI capabilities and turn the country into a prominent player in technology.
“Before a shovel can go into the ground, we need to ensure the required knowledge and hardware is available. Nvidia has the knowledge and high-tech equipment needed to build an AI facility. Today an important step has been taken in this regard,” Beljaarts added.
Growing Influence
Nvidia has been expanding its influence outside the US borders. In October 2024, the AI chip maker collaborated with Denmark to launch the country’s biggest AI supercomputer called Gefion.
“Gefion is going to be a factory of intelligence. This is a new industry that never existed before. It sits on top of the IT industry. We’re inventing something fundamentally new,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said during the launch.
The computer is equipped with over 1,500 Nvidia H100 Tensore Core GPUs. It’s also interconnected via Nvidia’s Quantum-2 InfiniBand. Through Gefion, Denmark is looking to advance research in clean energy, infectious diseases, quantum computing, biotechnology, and many more.
Gefion is run by the Danish Center for AI Innovation, which is funded by Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Previously, Huang has underscored the critical role of sovereign AI, saying that every country should invest in its own infrastructure.
