Summary Under the proposed Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA), Portugal would be legally required to establish a network of Experience and Acceleration Centres for AI ("Centres for AI") within one year of the Regulation's entry into force. These centres would not be created from scratch but would build upon existing European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). Their primary mandate would be to accelerate the adoption of cloud and AI technologies among SMEs, small mid-caps (SMCs), and public sector bodies by connecting them with European providers, facilitating access to computing resources, and serving as the operational entry points for Portugal's national cloud and AI strategy.

Detail

The proposed Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA), COM(2026) 502 final, introduces a structural framework to strengthen the European cloud and AI ecosystem. A cornerstone of this framework is the creation of a unified network of Experience and Acceleration Centres for AI. For Portugal, as for every Member State, this represents a mandatory obligation designed to bridge the gap between advanced research and practical, widespread deployment across the economy and public administration.

Legal Basis and Establishment Mandate

The obligation is explicitly set out in Article 5(1) of the proposal, which states: "Each Member State shall establish Experience and Acceleration Centres for AI ('Centres for AI')."

Crucially, the Regulation does not require the creation of entirely new administrative entities. Instead, Article 5(1) mandates that these centres "shall build on the European digital innovation hubs established under Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2021/694 and, where applicable, any successor entities established under Union law."

This provision implies that Portugal would likely repurpose, expand, or formally designate its existing network of EDIHs to serve as the Centres for AI. This approach leverages existing infrastructure, expertise, and regional coverage, ensuring a faster rollout. The Commission would be empowered to adopt implementing acts to detail the specific procedures for establishment, selection criteria, and participant profiles, adopted via the examination procedure in Article 46(2).

Core Objectives and Specific Tasks

The strategic purpose of these centres is defined in Article 5(2). Their objectives are threefold:

  1. Integration and Scaling: To support the integration and scaling-up of AI use cases in strategic industrial and public sectors.
  2. Broad Adoption: To accelerate the broad adoption of cloud and AI technologies at regional and local levels, specifically targeting SMEs, small mid-caps (SMCs), and public sector bodies, in line with the 'AI first' principle.
  3. Infrastructure Leverage: To leverage relevant infrastructure to accelerate the development and fine-tuning of AI models and systems.

To achieve these goals, Article 5(3) assigns four specific operational tasks to the Centres:

  • Connecting to European Providers: The centres must help organisations accelerate their digital transformation by "connecting organisations with European providers of cloud and AI technologies." This is a critical sovereignty measure, ensuring that Portuguese businesses and public bodies are actively linked to EU-based suppliers rather than defaulting to non-EU hyperscalers.
  • Skills and Upskilling: They must ensure or provide access to relevant upskilling and reskilling schemes, working in close collaboration with the AI Skills Academy.
  • Expertise Transfer: They are tasked with facilitating the transfer of expertise across regions, ensuring that knowledge is not siloed in Lisbon or Porto but reaches all parts of the country.
  • Startup and Spin-off Support: They must support the scaling-up of spin-offs and start-ups emerging from universities and incubators by facilitating access to clients and organisations seeking specialised AI services.

The Network Effect and Cross-Border Collaboration

The proposal envisions these centres not as isolated national entities but as nodes in a broader European network. Article 5(6) establishes that "A network of Centres for AI shall be established to support collaboration and the exchange of best practices among Centres for AI."

This network is designed to provide specialised services across regions where specific skills or compute capacity are not available locally. For Portugal, this means that a public body in a remote region could access high-level AI expertise or computing resources through the national network, or even via collaboration with Centres in other Member States, preventing local bottlenecks in AI adoption.

Integration with Portugal's National Strategy

The establishment of Centres for AI is inextricably linked to the national cloud and AI strategies required under Article 7 of CADA. Article 7(2)(b) explicitly requires national strategies to include measures to accelerate the development and adoption of cloud and AI at national, regional, and local levels, "including by supporting the Centres for AI referred to in Article 5 as entry points to the European AI innovation ecosystem."

Consequently, Portugal's national strategy would need to explicitly detail how it will fund, staff, and operate these centres. The strategy must define how the Centres function as gateways for SMEs, public bodies, and industries to access European AI capabilities. The European Artificial Intelligence Board (AI Board), established under the AI Act, would advise and assist Portugal in coordinating this strategy, ensuring consistency with EU-wide objectives.

Role in Public Procurement and Sovereignty

For public procurement officers in Portugal, the Centres for AI would play a vital role in the demand-side measures of CADA. By connecting public bodies with European providers, these centres would help mitigate the risks associated with dependence on third-country providers.

They would provide the technical expertise necessary to evaluate and procure sovereign cloud and AI services, which are increasingly required under the Union assurance levels framework (Articles 16–24). The centres would assist public authorities in understanding how to leverage the EuroCloud Federation (Article 34) and comply with new procurement rules that favour European added value (Article 32). Furthermore, they would support the implementation of the risk assessments (Article 29) required to determine the appropriate assurance level for public sector activities, ensuring that procurement decisions align with public order protection requirements.

What this means for you

For public-sector bodies, procurement officers, and business leaders in Portugal, the proposed establishment of Centres for AI under Article 5 carries several practical implications:

  1. Local Access to Expertise: You would gain access to a dedicated local resource to help navigate the complexities of AI adoption. These centres would provide technical guidance on selecting appropriate AI solutions, assessing cybersecurity risks, and understanding the new sovereignty requirements introduced by CADA.
  2. SME and Startup Engagement: If your organisation's strategy involves engaging with local SMEs and startups, the Centres for AI would act as a matchmaking platform. They would help identify viable local providers, assisting you in meeting the CADA target that at least 25% of innovation procurement be awarded to SMEs (Article 33(4)).
  3. Sovereignty Compliance: As CADA introduces mandatory risk assessments for public sector activities (Article 29) and requires the use of Union assurance levels for procurement (Article 30), the Centres for AI would assist in conducting these assessments. They could help determine which assurance level (1, 2, 3, or 4) is appropriate for your specific use case, ensuring compliance with public order protection requirements.
  4. Skills Development: Your staff may require upskilling to effectively manage AI projects. The Centres for AI would collaborate with the AI Skills Academy to provide training, ensuring your team has the necessary competencies to oversee AI systems and interpret their outputs, as required by both the AI Act and CADA.
  5. Network Access: If your region lacks specific AI expertise or compute capacity, the national network of Centres for AI would ensure you can access specialised services from other regions in Portugal or across the EU, preventing local bottlenecks in AI adoption.

Common misconceptions

"The Centres for AI are new, standalone entities separate from existing digital hubs."

  • Reality: Article 5(1) clearly states they shall "build on the European digital innovation hubs." This is an evolution and expansion of existing infrastructure, not a completely new creation. Portugal would likely adapt its current EDIH network rather than building a parallel system.

"These centres only serve large corporations."

  • Reality: Article 5(2)(b) and 5(3)(d) explicitly highlight support for SMEs, small mid-caps (SMCs), start-ups, and public sector bodies. They are specifically designed to democratise access to AI for smaller entities and public administrations that might otherwise lack the resources to engage with the AI ecosystem.

"The Centres for AI will provide AI systems directly to users."

  • Reality: Their role is supportive and facilitative. They help organisations "accelerate their digital transformation through access to and use of AI technologies" by connecting them with providers, not by acting as the primary service provider themselves. They are intermediaries, not vendors.

"Portugal can choose whether or not to establish these centres."

  • Reality: Article 5(1) uses the mandatory term "shall establish," making it a binding obligation for all Member States, including Portugal, under the proposed Regulation. The timeline is strict: they must be established within one year of the Regulation's entry into force.

Official sources

Related

This is general information about a draft EU regulation, not legal advice.