NEWS
Amazon invests € 10 billion in European robotics expansion and US $ 1 billion in workforce upskilling
Amazon has announced a series of investments and technology initiatives aimed at expanding its European operations, accelerating delivery services, supporting employee development and advancing warehouse automation.
The announcements were made during the company’ s Delivering the Future event in London and include a commitment of more than € 10 billion to expand and modernise fulfilment centres across Europe. The investment will support next-generation robotics deployments, operational improvements and the creation of 25,000 additional jobs across the region.
A key development was the introduction of the latest version of Proteus, Amazon’ s autonomous mobile robot. Unlike earlier versions, the new Proteus can operate throughout fulfilment facilities rather than being restricted to dock areas. Powered by advances in artificial intelligence, employees can direct the robot using conversational text prompts instead of technical commands. Proteus is designed to handle repetitive and physically demanding tasks, allowing employees to focus on inventory management, quality control and other higher-value responsibilities. The robot is currently being tested in Amazon laboratories, with European deployment planned for the first half of 2027.
Amazon also confirmed the expansion of its ultra-fast Amazon Now delivery service into additional international markets, with a particular focus on the UK and India.
Alongside its operational investments, the company announced a US $ 1 billion commitment to employee upskilling through its Career Choice programme. The initiative provides fully funded education and training opportunities designed to help workers develop new skills and progress into higher-skilled roles within growing technology-focused sectors globally. The measures aim to improve efficiency, flexibility and customer satisfaction.
EuroHPC launches four new quantum technology funding calls to strengthen European innovation
The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking( EuroHPC JU) has launched four new funding calls aimed at accelerating quantum technology development and strengthening Europe’ s position in quantum innovation, computing and standardisation.
The initiatives target quantum sensing, photonic quantum computing, standards development and quantum machine learning, with a combined indicative budget of € 19 million under the Horizon Europe programme.
A flagship Grand Challenge on Quantum Sensors for Inertial Navigation will support the development of navigation systems capable of operating in environments where Global Navigation Satellite Systems are unavailable or disrupted. The programme will follow a two-phase structure combining technical development with financial planning and support from the European Investment Bank.
EuroHPC has also launched a € 10 million call focused on large-scale photonic quantum computing platforms. The initiative seeks to overcome major barriers in photonic quantum technology, including scalable entanglement and integrated control systems. The selected consortium is expected to demonstrate a photonic processor exceeding 100 qubits by 2028 and deliver a modular full-stack quantum computer by 2030.
A separate standards-focused programme will support the creation of European and international quantum technology standards, promoting interoperability, reliability and trust across quantum computing, communications and sensing applications.
The fourth call targets Quantum Machine Learning, supporting research that combines quantum processors with high-performance computing systems. The programme aims to develop scalable algorithms, benchmarking frameworks and quantum-native learning models capable of outperforming classical approaches in specific applications.
The announcements form part of EuroHPC’ s expanded mandate to strengthen Europe’ s quantum ecosystem alongside its supercomputing infrastructure, AI Factories network and growing portfolio of quantum computing deployments across the continent.
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