Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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413. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on plans for data centre development in light of the AI Continent Action Plan, describing data and computing infrastructure as vital for AI development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27840/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The AI Continent Action Plan was launched last month. It sets the objective for the EU to become a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) transforming Europe's strong traditional industries and its exceptional talent pool into powerful engines of AI innovation and acceleration.

The Action Plan envisions Europe as a global leader in AI highlighting that, from cutting-edge foundation models to specialised AI applications, the AI landscape in the EU is dynamic, driven by research, emerging technologies and a thriving ecosystem of startups and scaleups. It is designed to boost the European Union's AI innovation capabilities through actions and policies.

One of the five key pillars of the Action Plan relates to building a large-scale AI data and computing infrastructure.

The Government's National AI Strategy Refresh 2024 includes a commitment to a strategic review of the High-Performance Computing services required to drive innovation and adoption of AI and other advanced technologies to inform future investment. It highlights that given the heavy computational overhead of many AI models, unlocking access to advanced High Performance Computing (HPC) is a critical lever for AI innovation in Ireland

In August 2024, my predecessor announced the appointment of a review panel to review Ireland's High-Performance Computing (HPC) requirements. The review is expected to conclude shortly and will inform and advise Government decision-making on national HPC infrastructure in the context of the ongoing review of the National Development Plan.