By Roman Aglaganov
Some of the most useful AI in science is not a chatbot but a specialised model. Many European scientists struggle to run them for lack of computing power. On 14 October, Google DeepMind and Google Cloud said they will give up to 200 European researchers direct access to their frontier science models, plus $3 million in compute credits.
What is on offer
AlphaFold 3: predicts the 3D structure of proteins and how they interact with other molecules such as DNA and drugs.
WeatherNext: Google’s AI weather forecasting models.
AlphaGenome: predicts how changes in DNA affect the way genes are regulated.
AlphaEvolve: a coding agent that searches for better algorithms.
AlphaEarth Foundations: turns satellite data into detailed maps of the Earth’s surface.
Why Europe, and why now
The offer runs through RAISE, the EU’s initiative for AI in science, which aims to close the “compute gap” between European researchers and well-funded labs elsewhere. Google frames it as helping scientists move faster, “from predicting extreme weather patterns to mapping molecular structures”.
What to watch
Two hundred researchers and $3 million is modest set against Europe’s scientific base. The real test is who gets selected, and whether results stay open to the wider community. Google’s announcement does not say how researchers will be chosen. It also lands as Brussels starts enforcing the AI Act and Google seeks goodwill in Europe. Still, for a lab that could never afford to run these models, it is real help.
