If Europe Wants to Compete in AI, It Needs More Than Regulation

For years, Europe’s approach to artificial intelligence has centred largely on regulation, governance frameworks and digital policy. Those discussions matter. But they risk overlooking a far more urgent issue of whether Europe will have enough energy infrastructure to support the AI economy at all.

Behind every chatbot, AI assistant and large language model sits an enormous network of data centres requiring massive amounts of electricity, cooling systems, fibre connectivity and industrial-scale infrastructure. AI operates in warehouses full of servers consuming extraordinary quantities of power.

That reality is beginning to force a strategic reconsideration across the technology sector. Increasingly, the critical question is where enough reliable energy exists to support long-term growth. This challenge creates a unique opportunity for countries willing to think differently – and Poland may be one of them.