Europe · hardware arriving
Server and AI hardware imports into the EU, country by country
EU member states imported €104.8bn of servers, accelerator boards, computer units and network gear from outside the EU in the twelve months to Jul 2026, +52% on a year earlier; servers alone rose +105% to €29.6bn (Eurostat Comext, updated 2026-09-15). The Netherlands, the EU's port of entry, takes 45.6%. Ireland is second at 13.6%, and second for kit that stays after onward shipments.
Updated 11 October 2026 · data build 2026-10-10 · how we know · corrections
€104.8bn of compute kit entered the EU in a year, +52%
Extra-EU imports by all 27 member states, Aug 2025 to Jul 2026, against the twelve months before. Kit = servers + server parts/accelerator boards + other computer units + network equipment (HS 847150, 847330, 847180, 851762). Measured
Rolling three-month totals, € billion, extra-EU imports by the EU-27. Monthly figures are lumpy: a few large server shipments can move a month by billions.
Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409 (EU trade by HS6), monthly · API · as of 2026-10-11 · Comext updated 2026-09-15; latest month Jul 2026 · Compiled by StackPath
The Netherlands takes 46% of the kit at the border; Ireland is next with 14%
Share of the EU's extra-EU compute-kit imports by the member state that declared them, last 12 months. Measured
Servers alone: Netherlands 56.5%, Ireland 14.6% (rank 2). These are the countries where goods clear customs, not where they are switched on.
Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409 (EU trade by HS6), monthly · API · as of 2026-10-11 · Comext updated 2026-09-15; latest month Jul 2026 · Compiled by StackPath
After onward shipments, Germany, Ireland and France keep the most
Net arrivals: extra-EU imports plus intra-EU arrivals, minus exports and dispatches to other member states. Positive means kit stays; negative means a hub that ships out more than it brings in (assembly plants, distribution centres). Calculated
The Netherlands sent €33.6bn of the same kit on to other member states, which is why it drops from first at the border to #4 on net arrivals. Latvia, Estonia, Czechia, Hungary are net senders: server and electronics assembly and logistics sites, not data-centre markets. Net arrivals mix data-centre kit with office and telecom equipment.
Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409 (EU trade by HS6), monthly · API · as of 2026-10-11 · Comext updated 2026-09-15; latest month Jul 2026 · Compiled by StackPath
The biggest importers, month by month
Extra-EU compute-kit imports, rolling three-month totals, € billion. Measured
Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409 (EU trade by HS6), monthly · API · as of 2026-10-11 · Comext updated 2026-09-15; latest month Jul 2026 · Compiled by StackPath
Taiwan-made kit rose +85% in a year
EU-27 extra-EU compute-kit imports by declared country of origin, last 12 months, and the change on the year before. Measured
| Origin | Kit imports | Change | Share | Servers | Share of servers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | €23.5bn | +1% | 22.5% | €4.3bn | 14.4% |
| Taiwan | €20.8bn | +85% | 19.8% | €7bn | 23.6% |
| Vietnam | €15.3bn | +97% | 14.6% | €0.5bn | 1.6% |
| United States | €10.5bn | +57% | 10% | €7.1bn | 23.9% |
| Mexico | €9.4bn | +66% | 8.9% | €6.4bn | 21.6% |
| Malaysia | €6.4bn | +124% | 6.1% | €0.6bn | 1.9% |
| Thailand | €6bn | +72% | 5.8% | €1.9bn | 6.3% |
| South Korea | €4.9bn | +116% | 4.6% | €0.1bn | 0.2% |
| United Kingdom | €2.1bn | +52% | 2% | €1.2bn | 4% |
| Philippines | €1.4bn | +173% | 1.3% | €0bn | 0% |
Origin is where the goods were made (often Taiwan, China, Mexico or Vietnam), not the brand's home. Origins outside the 16 listed are not shown, so shares don't sum to 100%.
Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409 (EU trade by HS6), monthly · API · as of 2026-10-11 · Comext updated 2026-09-15; latest month Jul 2026 · Compiled by StackPath
All 27 member states
Compute kit (servers + server parts/accelerator boards + other computer units + network equipment), last 12 months to Jul 2026. Measured
Download CSV, by country and group ↓Download CSV, EU monthly ↓Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409 (EU trade by HS6), monthly · API · as of 2026-10-11 · Comext updated 2026-09-15; latest month Jul 2026 · Compiled by StackPath
What each customs code covers
EU-27 extra-EU imports per HS6 code, last 12 months, and Ireland's rank. Measured
| HS6 | What it covers | EU imports | Change | Biggest importer | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 847150 | Processing units (servers, incl. complete GPU servers) | €29.6bn | +105% | Netherlands 57% | #2 · 14.6% |
| 847330 | Parts and accessories of ADP machines (accelerator boards, GPU modules, motherboards) | €28.9bn | +91% | Netherlands 32% | #2 · 24.6% |
| 847180 | Other units of ADP machines (incl. some accelerator units) | €11bn | +25% | Netherlands 28% | #5 · 9.7% |
| 851762 | Network switching, routing and transmission equipment | €35.4bn | +16% | Netherlands 53% | #4 · 5.1% |
| 854231 | Processors and controllers (integrated circuits) | €24.6bn | +15% | Netherlands 33% | #3 · 16.5% |
| 854232 | Memories (integrated circuits) | €5.8bn | +137% | Germany 29% | #18 · 0.2% |
Chips (854231 processors, 854232 memories) are shown for reference and kept out of the kit total: most go into cars, phones and electronics assembly.
Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409 (EU trade by HS6), monthly · API · as of 2026-10-11 · Comext updated 2026-09-15; latest month Jul 2026 · Compiled by StackPath
Our reading. Servers doubling in a year, with Taiwan- and US-origin kit rising fastest, fits a wave of GPU-server deliveries, but customs codes don't separate GPU servers from ordinary ones, so this is a reading, not a count. Import value also rises with price: a GPU server costs many times a CPU server, so euro growth overstates growth in the number of machines. Read it as money arriving, a few months ahead of the electricity data.
Customs records goods crossing a border, not hardware installed in a data centre. The Netherlands is the EU's main port of entry (Rotterdam, Schiphol): much of its extra-EU imports is dispatched on to other member states, which then record it as intra-EU arrivals. Extra-EU imports by member state show where kit enters the EU, not where it ends up; net arrivals (all arrivals minus exports and dispatches) is the better guide to what stays. EU-27 totals use extra-EU imports only, so kit moving between member states is not double counted. GPUs have no HS code of their own: complete GPU servers fall under 847150; accelerator boards and modules under 847330 or 847180. Any 'AI' reading is inference. Chips (8542 31/32) are dominated by electronics manufacturing, not data centres, so they sit outside the compute-kit total. Confidential cells and intra-EU trade below the Intrastat threshold are missing; the latest months are revised. Origin is the country of origin declared on import for extra-EU trade; it is the factory country, often Taiwan, China or Mexico, not the brand's home. Eurostat data reused with acknowledgement under the Eurostat copyright notice; aggregations and shares are ours.
Questions people ask
- Which EU country imports the most servers?
- The Netherlands: 56.5% of the EU's extra-EU server imports in the twelve months to Jul 2026, because Rotterdam and Schiphol are the EU's main ports of entry. Ireland is second with 14.6% (Eurostat Comext).
- Do import figures show where AI data centres are being built?
- Partly. Customs records where goods cross the border. Much of what lands in the Netherlands is sent on to other member states, so net arrivals (imports minus onward shipments) are the better guide. GPU servers have no code of their own, so any AI reading is inference.
- Which customs codes cover GPUs and servers?
- Complete servers, including GPU servers, fall under HS 847150. Accelerator boards and modules usually fall under 847330 (parts of computers) or 847180 (other units). Network switches are 851762. This page uses those four; processor and memory chips (854231, 854232) are shown apart.
- How often is this updated?
- Eurostat publishes Comext monthly, around six weeks after the month ends; the latest month here is Jul 2026. Recent months are revised as late declarations arrive.