Antenna is described as a national Irish initiative that connects the Irish AI ecosystem with the infrastructure of European AI Factories.
Ireland’s AI Factory (IAIF) has launched the ‘AIF IRL-Antenna’, which is described as a “national gateway to the European AI network” and gives Irish organizations access to the advanced computing skills needed to develop, test and deploy AI solutions at scale.
Supported by ten million Euros in joint funding from the European and Irish Governments, the program aims to increase the adoption and innovation of AI in the country while finding a place within the wider European AI ecosystem as part of the network of AI Industries and high-performance computing centers.
The antenna will “serve as Ireland’s national access point to Europe’s advanced AI and high-performance computing infrastructure” and “provide start-ups, SMEs, researchers and public sector organizations with easy access to world-class AI resources, technical expertise, training programs and innovation support”, according to the IAIF.
Antenna is defined as a national Irish initiative that connects the Irish AI ecosystem with the infrastructure of European AI Factories under the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), providing high-performance AI computing and the relevant technology needed to turn ideas into actionable AI.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless, TD – whose department is involved in the funding – said: “The launch of the AI Factory Antenna marks an important step forward for Ireland’s digital future.
“By bringing together businesses, researchers and civil society, it will help create an environment where innovation can flourish and where organizations of all sizes can get the support they need to fully utilize AI.”
The antenna will be operated by the Irish Center for High-End Computing (ICHEC) at the University of Galway, in collaboration with Ceadar, which has been described as Ireland’s center for AI applications.
ICHEC director Professor Jean-Christophe Desplat said: “AIF IRL-Antenna uses Ireland’s leading centers of advanced computing and artificial intelligence to facilitate access to EU private platforms and services, and to encourage their adoption within Ireland’s start-up and scale-up programme.
“This partnership includes seven areas of innovation, ensuring that all companies can benefit equally, regardless of their location.”
The aim of this project is to scale and accelerate the innovation of AI by lowering the barriers to adoption and supporting national strategies in advanced computing, HPC, AI, data spaces and quantum computing, while aiming to accelerate digital and green transformation in all sectors such as energy, agriculture, climate, healthcare, smart cities and manufacturing.
EuroHPC JU is a European Union-wide effort to strengthen AI efficiency, encourage innovation and ensure that businesses, researchers and public sector organizations in all member states can benefit from access to state-of-the-art AI technology and infrastructure.
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