Bull, the French state-controlled supercomputer manufacturer, has significantly expanded its manufacturing footprint in Angers following an €80 million facility renovation. The upgraded plant now produces 12 racks per month, doubling the previous output of six, according to statements made to Reuters. The company formally inaugurated the new production facility on Friday, with potential to reach 24 racks annually if market demand warrants further scaling.
The expanded facility represents a strategic advantage for Bull, as Angers remains Europe's sole location capable of assembling supercomputers at industrial scale. The broader site reconstruction initiative will continue through 2028. The additional capacity enables Bull to manufacture two major contracts concurrently—a significant operational milestone for the company.
Two Flagship Projects Under One Roof
The first major project is Alice Recoque, a 94-rack exascale system destined for France's atomic energy commission, the CEA. Exascale machines deliver computational performance exceeding one quintillion calculations per second. The second undertaking is LUMI-AI, valued at €387.8 million and destined for Kajaani, Finland—representing Bull's largest contract to date. Both systems are scheduled for delivery in 2027, though Reuters reported that Alice Recoque will arrive in phases beginning later this year at a total cost of €554 million to France and the EU.
Market Momentum and European Dominance
Emmanuel Le Roux, Bull's chief executive, disclosed to Reuters that the company has secured more contracts this year than in any previous period. Bull has captured 15 of 18 competitive tenders administered by EuroHPC, the EU's supercomputing funding body, outpacing competitors including Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
Bull previously constructed JUPITER, Europe's inaugural exascale supercomputer, which operates at Germany's Jülich research facility. Cloud infrastructure provider OVHcloud and Italian artificial intelligence firm Domyn are both leveraging JUPITER to develop cutting-edge AI models, according to Reuters reporting.
State Ownership and European Sovereignty
The French government became Bull's exclusive shareholder on 31 March following completion of its acquisition from Atos, with Reuters valuing the transaction at up to €404 million. Roland Lescure, France's economy minister, emphasized the strategic importance of this transition:
It is imperative that France and Europe retain control over their own computing capabilities
Roland Lescure, France's economy minister
Component Sourcing and Manufacturing Strategy
The Angers facility manufactures systems incorporating processors from Nvidia, AMD, Intel, or European suppliers, tailored to individual customer specifications. European-sourced components now constitute approximately 70% of manufactured systems, a substantial increase from the 20% to 30% proportion recorded five years ago, according to company executives.
Bull's future roadmap includes deploying the Angers site for artificial intelligence server production. Under an agreement finalized with Foxconn in June, the electronics manufacturer will produce components for Nvidia's Vera Rubin NVL72 systems at a Czech facility, with final assembly occurring in Angers. Bull indicated it will announce additional manufacturing collaborators during early 2027.
Source: The Next Web
