Germany launches €125 million AI competition for European frontier AI labs (euronews.com)

• SPRIND's 'Next Frontier AI' competition offers €125M over 24 months in three funding stages.
• Up to 10 teams in stage 1 (€3M each), 6 in stage 2 (€8M each), 3 in stage 3 (€15.5M each).
• Goal: create European alternatives to OpenAI/DeepSeek and reduce tech dependence on US/China.

"Germany's federal innovation agency SPRIND has launched the 'Next Frontier AI' competition with €125 million to build European frontier AI labs. The three-stage program over 24 months will fund teams up to €15.5 million each. SPRIND expects hundreds to thousands of applications across Europe. The initiative aims to create European alternatives to OpenAI and DeepSeek, addressing dependence on US and Chinese AI firms. Costard stated the funding is a first step to unlock billions more, emphasizing new AI paradigms and faster public funding."