Canada Becomes the 39th Participating State of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking

Canada’s adhesion is a new step towards bringing together many different partners to strengthen Europe’s supercomputing capabilities, advance science and boost the innovation potential of enterprises. This membership comes at a time when the European Union (EU) and Canada are seeking to build a deeper and more integrated relationship, with unparalleled trade access, shared values and complementary economic strengths.

The EU and Canada have been cooperating in the field of research and innovation since 1996, when they signed the Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation. Since 2024, Canada has been associated with the Horizon Europe programme.

Canada has joined EuroHPC JU, a European funding agency created under EU law, which pools European and national resources to procure supercomputing infrastructure and invest in research in supercomputing technologies, software and competences.  Along with EuroHPC JU’s other Participating States, Canada will be able to access European HPC, AI and Quantum compute resources provided by the JU.  Canadian scientists will also be able to collaborate with European counterparts on leading edge European scientific and technological projects in artificial intelligence (AI), HPC and Quantum. This initiative will support the EU’s mission of achieving strategic autonomy in HPC, AI and quantum computing, and help build a world-class supercomputing ecosystem in Europe. 

The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario said:

“Advanced computing power is critical to turning ambitious ideas into scientific breakthroughs and economic opportunities. Joining EuroHPC JU will deepen Canada’s partnership with Europe and open new opportunities for Canadian researchers and innovators to access world-class supercomputing, AI and quantum computing resources. This collaboration will help advance cutting-edge research, strengthen our collective technological capabilities and ensure Canada and Europe remain at the forefront of emerging technologies.”

Roberto Viola, Director-General, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT), European Commission, stated:

“I am proud to see EuroHPC membership extended to Canada, opening up new opportunities for researchers, businesses and government. EuroHPC membership will advance common work on some of the key areas of our time: supercomputing, AI infrastructure and quantum computing. The excellent cooperation with Canada, reflected in the EU-Canada Digital Partnership, continues to build secure and world-class digital capabilities together.”

Anders Jensen, EuroHPC JU Executive Director added:

“Canada’s adhesion to the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking reflects the growing importance of international partnerships in developing a sovereign European world-class supercomputing ecosystem. By joining forces, Europe and Canada will reinforce their technological strengths and advance scientific excellence and innovation. We warmly welcome Canada to our community and look forward to working together to further strengthen our collective capabilities and ambitions.”

Background 

The EuroHPC JU is a legal and funding entity that brings together the European Union and participating countries to coordinate efforts and pool resources with the objective of making Europe a world leader in supercomputing. 

EuroHPC JU’s Governing Board comprised of representatives from the European Commission (DG CNECT) and 39 Participating States.

To equip Europe with a cutting-edge supercomputing infrastructure, the EuroHPC JU has already procured 12 supercomputers, distributed across Europe. The EuroHPC JU is also overseeing the implementation of 19 AI Factories across Europe, complemented by 13 AI Factory Antennas, which offer free, customised support to SMEs and startups.  Additionally, the EuroHPC JU is deploying a European Quantum Computing infrastructure, integrating diverse European quantum computing technologies with existing supercomputers. 

European scientists and users from the public sector and industry can benefit from this European HPC, AI and Quantum computing infrastructure via the EuroHPC Access Calls, regardless of where they are located in Europe, to advance science and support the development of a wide range of applications with industrial, scientific and societal relevance for Europe.

The EuroHPC JU also funds research and innovation projects to develop a full European supercomputing supply chain, from processors and software to applications to be run on these supercomputers and know-how to develop strong European HPC expertise. 

With the recent adoption of Council Regulation (EU) 2026/150, the EuroHPC JU’s mandate has been expanded with new action pillars dedicated to the deployment of AI Gigafactories across Europe and the advancement of quantum technologies.