Finland bids for European AI gigafactory

Reuters

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has announced Finland's ambition to host a European AI gigafactory. The move aims to boost national growth by building on the success of the LUMI supercomputer, with telecommunications giant Nokia poised to lead the project's business consortium.

The announcement was made on Tuesday during an AI roundtable in Helsinki, where leaders gathered to discuss the European Union's strategic initiatives for artificial intelligence and strengthening national coordination on AI policy and infrastructure.

"The government's key goal is to enable new growth in Finland. Utilising new technology and creating a world-class artificial intelligence infrastructure are essential here," Orpo stated in a government press release.

Finland is positioning itself as an ideal location for the facility, citing the proven success of the LUMI (Large Unified Modern Infrastructure) supercomputer. Located in Kajaani, LUMI is one of the world's most powerful supercomputers and a cornerstone of a pan-European effort to advance scientific research.

The proposed gigafactory could be built adjacent to the existing LUMI AI Factory, which already supports Finnish and European AI research by providing high-performance computing resources.

In a significant development, Prime Minister Orpo revealed that Nokia has expressed its willingness to lead the business consortium backing Finland's bid. This brings major industrial leadership to the forefront of the proposal.

"Gigafactories are essential for the development of European infrastructure and digitalisation, so that we can fully utilise the opportunities created by artificial intelligence," commented Mikko Hautala, Nokia's Chief Geopolitical and Government Relations Officer.

The push for AI gigafactories is a central component of the European Commission's InvestAI initiative. This ambitious program aims to mobilise €200 billion to fund advancements in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.

These gigafactories are designed to provide the massive computational power necessary to develop next-generation AI models, ensuring that Europe remains globally competitive in this critical technological domain.

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