HPE and Nvidia launch first EU AI factory lab in France

An evening cityscape of Grenoble with the Alps in the background

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 2 December 2025

The southern French city of Grenoble has been chosen by HPE and Nvidia to host the first AI factory lab in the European Union (EU).

The announcement comes just ahead of HPE’s annual Discover Barcelona conference, which kicks off on Wednesday 3 December, and is the latest in a number of joint AI factory projects from the two companies.

The AI factory lab in Grenoble will allow customers to test and refine workloads on a sovereign AI factory environment on hardware located and running in the EU, the companies said.

The lab features Nvidia AI Enterprise government-grade software and Spectrum-X Ethernet networking, HPE servers and Alletra storage, and PTX and MX Series routers from Juniper Networking (now part of HPE).

Private AI in the UK

Not to be left out, HPE is also launching a similar lab in the UK, in partnership with Carbon3.ai. The Private AI Lab, which will be located in London, is built on HPE Private Cloud AI with Nvidia AI Enterprise Suite software and is intended, HPE said, to "accelerate UK enterprise AI adoption".

Tom Humphreys, CEO of Carbon3.ai, said: "UK enterprises want secure, sovereign, and sustainable AI infrastructure they can trust -- and they want real outcomes fast. By removing cost and risk, and by grounding everything in sovereign, sustainable UK infrastructure, we're accelerating enterprise adoption and helping the UK convert its AI potential into economic impact."

The sovereign aspect of this hinges on Carbon3.ai's Private AI Lab offering UK compute and Nvidia infrastructure "in a secure, compliant, and scalable environment that aligns with existing cloud and governance standards and regulatory obligations", powered by 100% off-grid renewable power.

Matt Harris, SVP and MD for UK, Ireland, Middle East, and Africa at HPE, added: "UK organisations face unique AI infrastructure challenges - from strict data residency and regulatory requirements to the need for scalable, energy efficient AI infrastructure and a clear path from pilot to production.

“The Private AI Lab addresses these needs directly. It provides a fast, low-risk route to production-grade AI that preserves sovereignty, reduces operational complexity and supports more energy-efficient deployment at scale.”

Carbon3.ai Private AI Lab is available immediately to qualified UK businesses. The AI Factory Lab in Grenoble will be available in Q2, 2026.

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Jane McCallion is Managing Editor of ITPro and ChannelPro, specializing in data centers, enterprise IT infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Before becoming Managing Editor, she held the role of Deputy Editor and, prior to that, Features Editor, managing a pool of freelance and internal writers, while continuing to specialize in enterprise IT infrastructure, and business strategy.

Prior to joining ITPro, Jane was a freelance business journalist writing as both Jane McCallion and Jane Bordenave for titles such as European CEO, World Finance, and Business Excellence Magazine.