US AI platform AIxBlock awarded €1.5 million to expand privacy-focused AI in Europe, eyes further €61.5 million for Italian data centres

AIxBlock, a U.S.-based startup building decentralised AI infrastructure, has been awarded a €1.5 million grant under Smart&Start Italia programme to support the company’s expansion into the EU.

The funding – currently undergoing final KYC checks, including criminal background screening – is intended to help AIxBlock broaden access to privacy-first, sovereign AI development across the EU by establishing a physical presence in Italy.

The Smart&Start Italia initiative, managed by Invitalia and backed by the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, supports the growth of innovative startups operating in high-tech sectors. The programme provides interest-free financing between €100k and €1.5 million to support hiring, infrastructure and operational development. In AIxBlock’s case, the funds will be used to support onboarding, local compliance, and platform development tailored for European enterprise and research teams.

Founded in 2023, AIxBlock provides an end-to-end platform for decentralised AI development, offering access to distributed GPU compute, data pipelines, low-code automation, and model marketplaces, all coordinated through blockchain-based contribution tracking. The startup enables companies to train and deploy AI models using a federated architecture that maintains data privacy and regulatory alignment – allowing contributors to share resources and be compensated transparently.

In addition to the €1.5 million Smart&Start grant, the company has also received pre-approval for up to €61.5 million in further public support from two other Italian programmes: the ON Grant (€1.5 million) and the Big Dev Grant (up to €60 million). These additional funds are not yet secured and remain subject to a multi-phase review process that may take at least eight months to complete.

The final amount awarded will depend on several criteria and will be split between non-repayable grants and zero-interest loans.

If approved, the €61.5 million will be used to support the development of physical data centres in Italy, which will serve as hubs for AIxBlock’s decentralised GPU network. This would allow the startup to deploy high-performance GPUs – such as H100s, A100s and 4090s— – within European territory, while contributing to the EU’s strategic objectives of digital sovereignty and sustainable infrastructure.

The timing of AIxBlock’s expansion coincides with the EU’s accelerated investment in energy-efficient and sovereign digital infrastructure. As public and private sectors increasingly prioritise alternatives to centralised cloud platforms, AIxBlock’s model – based on leveraging underutilised compute resources within a transparent, peer-driven ecosystem – offers a path aligned with the EU’s regulatory and environmental goals.

As part of the bloc’s ongoing efforts to modernise compute capacity through initiatives like the AI Continent programme, AIxBlock’s federated approach to infrastructure provision represents a timely fit. Recent projections suggest European data centre investment is set to surpass €100 billion by 2030.

Already gaining momentum, the company reports more than 12,000 organic users and growing enterprise interest from teams building large-scale, decentralised AI workflows. These early signals validate the demand for infrastructure that balances flexibility with full data control.

With the Smart&Start grant nearing completion and two substantial funding programmes under active review, AIxBlock is strategically positioning itself as a long-term player in Europe’s evolving AI landscape – offering an infrastructure model that is decentralised by design and European by intent.

The post US AI platform AIxBlock awarded €1.5 million to expand privacy-focused AI in Europe, eyes further €61.5 million for Italian data centres appeared first on EU-Startups.