Romania will establish its first national Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure with the launch of a joint project by the National Institute for Research & Development in Informatics ICI Bucharest and the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, alongside a consortium of academic, research and industry partners.

'Romania is among the six European countries selected in the latest evaluation round of the EuroHPC - AI Factories programme, a European initiative dedicated to developing centres for artificial intelligence and supercomputing. The RO AI Factory will include the acquisition and operation of a state-of-the-art supercomputer optimised for artificial intelligence, as well as the creation of a range of advanced services and infrastructures dedicated to research, business and the public sector. Priority application areas include manufacturing and industry, cybersecurity, life sciences, digital public services and autonomous systems. The initiative will support not only researchers and universities but also start-ups, SMEs and public institutions by providing access to high-performance computing resources, datasets, software tools and training programmes,' ICI Bucharest said in a press release sent to AGERPRES on Friday.

Under the coordination of ICI Bucharest, the project aims to transform small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from mere technology users into active players in innovation by offering services, training and access to modern AI infrastructures.

'The outcome confirms that Romania can play an important role in Europe's digital transformation. The RO AI Factory will be the cornerstone of future European AI infrastructure projects, paving the way for new investments, collaborations and international partnerships,' said Adrian-Victor Vevera, Director General of ICI Bucharest.

The RO AI Factory will be hosted and co-coordinated by ICI Bucharest and POLITEHNICA Bucharest, bringing together a strong national consortium of partners from research, education and industry: the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (UTCN), the National Institute for Research and Development in Biological Sciences (INCDSB), the Transylvania IT Association (ATIT), the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research (ICIA), the National Council of Private Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Romania (CNIPMMR) and the Romanian Digital Innovation Hubs Association (RoDIH).

'With this strategic investment, Romania joins the ranks of Europe's major players in the field of artificial intelligence. Politehnica Bucharest has the tradition, expertise and human resources needed to turn this project into a driver of scientific and economic progress. It is a unique opportunity to build here, in Romania, cutting-edge technologies capable of shaping society as a whole,' pointed out Rector of Politehnica Bucharest Mihnea Costoiu.

According to ICI Bucharest, Romania thus becomes an active part of the European EuroHPC - AI Factories network, contributing to the development of a unified, competitive and ethical AI ecosystem in Europe.

The other projects selected in this final stage come from the Czech Republic, Spain, Poland, Lithuania and the Netherlands - countries with long-standing traditions in supercomputing and advanced technologies. Alongside the RO AI Factory, these initiatives will form a strategic European network of AI Factories designed to foster collaboration among research centres, universities and industry, strengthening Europe's position as a global leader in the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Badea; EN - Simona Iacob)