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.
Over the past several years, Poland has emerged as one of Europe’s fastest-growing digital economies. Its geographic location, workforce and growing technology ecosystem make it attractive for cloud infrastructure and future AI investments. Yet Poland’s larger opportunity may lie in recognising something many Western European governments still hesitate to acknowledge: Advanced energy infrastructure will determine who wins the AI race.
That is why growing interest in American small modular reactor technology deserves serious attention.
Companies such as X-energy are pioneering advanced reactor systems that could help provide stable, scalable, low-carbon energy for the next generation of industrial and digital infrastructure. Unlike intermittent energy sources, SMRs offer the type of reliable baseload power large-scale data centres require.
This convergence between AI and energy is attracting attention from forward-looking investors and industrial leaders around the world.
One notable example is Polish businessman Zygmunt Solorz, who has shown growing interest in American technologies tied to advanced energy, AI infrastructure and long-term digital investment. Solorz’s engagement reflects a broader understanding increasingly taking hold among European business leaders: The future digital economy cannot exist without the energy systems necessary to power it.
This should matter to policymakers in both Washington and Europe.
For the United States, exporting advanced technologies to trusted allies strengthens economic partnerships while reinforcing Western leadership in strategic sectors. For Europe, partnerships with American innovators could help accelerate AI infrastructure growth while reducing dependence on unstable energy markets and geopolitical rivals.
The stakes are enormous. Data centres are rapidly becoming the factories of the digital age. Nations competing to attract them are effectively competing for the economic backbone of the next generation. The countries that secure AI infrastructure investment will likely capture downstream advantages in research, cloud services, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and high-skilled employment.
Europe still has time to compete. But doing so will require a shift in mindset. The AI race will not be won by regulation alone. It will be won by countries capable of building the infrastructure — especially the energy infrastructure — needed to sustain technological growth at scale.
Poland increasingly appears to understand this. Other countries should take notice.
James S. Gilmore, III was US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from July 2019 to January 2021
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