The European Commission has announced that it will co-fund four testing and experimentation facilities, or TEFs, for AI exploration, in order to support responsible AI development and ease compliance with the EU AI Act, which is in the final stages of approval before being enacted into law.
The TEFs will function in both the physical and virtual realms, according to a statement from the Commission this week. Work at the four initial TEFs, which began at the beginning of 2023, centers on agriculture and food production, healthcare data, smart manufacturing and smart city technology.
Funding for the TEFs will total between $43 billion and $65 billion, which will come from both the Commission itself and from member state contributions. The TEFs will run, at least initially, for five years.
