Nine Central and Eastern European countries have used a summit in Prague to formalise a shared position on artificial intelligence. Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and Romania adopted the Prague Declaration on Artificial Intelligence on 3 September, committing to closer coordination on policy, computing infrastructure and implementation practice.
The declaration matters because Europe's AI contest is increasingly becoming an infrastructure contest. Access to large-scale compute, power, data-centre capacity and research networks can determine whether companies are able to train and deploy advanced systems locally rather than depending almost entirely on infrastructure elsewhere.
The AI Gigafactory angle makes this more than a policy statement
The Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade says the cooperation includes work around AI Gigafactories, the European effort to develop very large computing facilities for advanced model training and deployment. A coordinated regional position could improve the case for locating investment in CEE, especially if countries can connect infrastructure rather than competing as isolated national markets.
That does not mean the declaration itself finances a gigafactory. It is a working agreement. The commercial test is whether governments, utilities, research institutions and private investors can turn political coordination into sites, power commitments, network capacity and funded computing projects.
Our view: Prague has an opportunity to become the coordination layer
Czech Business Review's view is that the most interesting outcome is not simply Czechia winning a single facility. Prague can strengthen its role as a regional technology centre if it becomes a place where CEE governments, companies and researchers coordinate access to European AI infrastructure and policy.
The next milestones are concrete. Watch for a defined gigafactory consortium, funding commitments, proposed locations, power requirements and cross-border compute agreements. Those details will show whether the Prague Declaration becomes an economic platform or remains primarily diplomatic signalling.
| Item | Position | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Signatories | 9 countries | Whether cooperation expands |
| Host | Prague, Czech Republic | Czech role in regional coordination |
| Core areas | AI policy, compute infrastructure, practice sharing | Concrete implementation agreements |
| Infrastructure theme | AI Gigafactories | Consortium, site, power and financing commitments |
Frequently asked questions
Which countries signed the Prague AI Declaration?
Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and Romania.
What does the Prague AI Declaration cover?
It covers coordination of European AI policy, interconnection of computing infrastructure and sharing of implementation practice.
Does the declaration mean an AI Gigafactory will definitely be built in Czechia?
No. The ministry links the cooperation to AI Gigafactory work, but a specific facility still requires a consortium, location, infrastructure and financing decisions.