The calls for AI Factories were launched in three rounds by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. EuroHPC JU is a legal and financial entity that brings together the European Union, participating countries, and private entities to coordinate efforts and pool resources with the ambition of making Europe a world leader in supercomputing, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. The six new AI Factories will join the 13 previously selected ones to form an interconnected network of AI centers ready to support AI innovation across Europe. Each AI Factory will serve as a single point of contact, offering startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, industry, public organizations, and AI researchers comprehensive support in deploying AI tools, managing and processing data sets, accessing AI-optimized computing resources, providing training and technical knowledge transfer, and supporting new talent.
"The success of the Czech AI Factory is a significant milestone not only for VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava, but also for the entire Czech innovation ecosystem. It confirms that long-term investments in research infrastructure, international partnerships, and the development of digital competencies are yielding tangible results. Thanks to the new supercomputer and the expertise of our partners, the Czech Republic is taking a decisive step towards becoming an active contributor to European excellence in the field of artificial intelligence. We are proud that Ostrava will be at the center of this transformation," said Igor Ivan, Rector of VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava.
The Czech AI Factory (CZAI) will support the development and implementation of artificial intelligence in Czechia, focusing on practical applications, technological infrastructure, and skills development. Its goal will be to enable deeper integration of the Czech AI ecosystem into the European network of AI Factories and other AI initiatives. This will naturally lead to increased international credibility and strengthen the chances of one of the European AI GigaFactories being located in Czechia.
At the heart of the project is KarolAIna, a new supercomputer optimized for artificial intelligence tasks, which builds on the experience with the EuroHPC petascale system Karolina hosted and operated by the national supercomputing center IT4Innovations. The new KarolAIna supercomputer will be built on approximately 340 state-of-the-art AI chips, providing a total performance of 850 PFlop/s in common AI operations. KarolAIna will serve industry, public administration, research teams, and startups, providing the advanced computing power needed to train, deploy, and experiment with AI models.
"Acquiring AI Factory for the Czech Republic is a very important step that puts us more significantly on the AI map in Europe. Within CZAI, we will respect national specifics when deploying artificial intelligence tools in companies, the public sector, and research. The KarolAIna supercomputer will become the flagship of the Czech Republic's AI infrastructure, enabling us to serve the ever-growing demands of our users in the field of artificial intelligence. The combination of advanced infrastructure, software tools, secure data environments, a team of experts, and coordinated training and educational activities will accelerate the implementation of artificial intelligence in practice and research, contribute to the fulfillment of national and European digital strategies, and support innovation, economic growth, and social benefits," added CZAI coordinator and IT4Innovations director doc. Vít Vondrák.
The CZAI consortium is led by VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava in cooperation with the Czech Technical University in Prague, the International Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Center, Charles University, the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and the Brno University of Technology. Experts from these renowned institutions will provide their expertise in many areas. They will support the introduction of AI in industry, in particular its integration into production, reduction of downtime, and the use of digital twins and robotics. In healthcare and the natural sciences, they will focus on drug development, molecular design, and clinical decision support. The energy sector will gain tools for prediction, flow optimization, and diagnostics, which will accelerate the transition to sustainable systems. Public administration will use AI to streamline processes and online services. In cybersecurity, the emphasis will be on advanced detection and defense. Another area is transportation, where AI will support autonomous vehicles, smart infrastructure, and legislative frameworks.
"Czech AI Factory will fundamentally transform the way artificial intelligence is effectively developed and used in the Czech Republic. The project will not only provide cutting-edge computing infrastructure, but will also open up new opportunities for a wide range of entities across the economy and society, including a whole new group of users, thanks to a broad range of AI services. We will develop these together with other partners for a wide range of application areas – from industrial production, energy, and healthcare to public administration, cybersecurity, and the mobility of the future. All this on a scale that would not be possible without Czech AI Factory. I am glad that CIIRC CTU will play a key role in these activities, thanks to our background and extensive experience in connecting cutting-edge research with real-world applications. We expect a breakthrough step towards Czechia becoming not only a user but also a creator of European sovereign and trustworthy artificial intelligence," said Prof. Vladimír Mařík, Scientific Director of the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics at the Czech Technical University in Prague (CIIRC CTU).
The total cost of the Czech AI Factory is almost CZK 1 billion (EUR 40 million). Half of these funds are covered by EuroHPC JU, which will use 50% of the computing time of the KarolAIna supercomputer and related AI services, with the Czech Republic contributing the other 50%. Approximately half of the funds will be used to purchase and operate the KarolAIna supercomputer, while the remaining funds will be used to provide services to Czech AI Factory clients. Two AI campuses will also be established as part of CZAI – one in Prague and the other in Brno. These student contact points will be designed to support young talented professionals and will complement the AI campus in Ostrava, which is already being established as part of the LUMI AI Factory.
It was with the LUMI AI Factory that the Czech Republic was successful in the first round of calls last year, when it was selected as the largest European artificial intelligence factory to date. The LUMI AI Factory builds on the successful LUMI consortium, which operates one of Europe's most powerful supercomputers, in which the Czech Republic is also involved through the IT4Innovations national supercomputing center. Thanks to this partnership, the Czech Republic participates in all LUMI AI Factory activities with the aim of utilizing the most powerful computing and data resources in the field of AI, which the consortium plans to operate in Kajaani, Finland, from 2027.
(Translated with DeepL.com)
