The results of the latest call for European AI Factories have been announced in Luxembourg, and the Czech Republic is among the successful applicants. The national consortium of six partners, led by VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, will establish the Czech AI Factory (CZAI). The initiative will include the acquisition of a powerful new AI supercomputer and the launch of a comprehensive portfolio of AI services provided by the consortium’s experts. Both will serve small and medium-sized enterprises, industry, and institutions from the public and research sectors.
The AI Factories initiative was launched through three calls by the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) – a legal and financial entity that brings together the European Union, participating countries, and private partners. Its mission is to coordinate efforts and pool resources to make Europe a global leader in supercomputing, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence.
Six new AI Factories will join the existing thirteen, creating a connected network of AI centres to accelerate AI innovation across Europe. Each AI Factory will act as a one-stop shop providing start-ups, SMEs, industry, public organisations, and researchers with access to AI tools, high-performance computational resources optimised for AI workloads, training and knowledge transfer, and support for new talent.
“The success of the Czech AI Factory marks a significant milestone for VSB – Technical University of Ostrava and the entire Czech innovation ecosystem. It confirms that long-term investment in research infrastructure, international partnerships, and the development of digital competencies yields tangible results. Thanks to the new supercomputer and the expertise of our partners, the Czech Republic is taking a decisive step towards becoming a driving contributor to Europe’s excellence in artificial intelligence. We are proud that Ostrava will be at the heart of this transformation,” said Igor Ivan, Rector of VSB – Technical University of Ostrava.
The Czech AI Factory (CZAI) will foster the adoption and development of artificial intelligence in the Czech Republic, focusing on practical applications, technological infrastructure, and skills development. It will also strengthen the country’s integration into the wider European AI ecosystem, enhancing its credibility and competitiveness, and potentially paving the way for hosting one of Europe’s future AI GigaFactories.
At the heart of the project is KarolAIna, a new supercomputer optimised for AI workloads. Building upon the experience of Karolina, the EuroHPC petascale system hosted and operated by IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center, the KarolAIna supercomputer will be equipped with approximately 340 state-of-the-art AI chips, delivering a total performance of 850 PFlop/s in AI operations. The system will serve industry, public administration, research teams, and start-ups by providing the necessary computing power for training, deploying, and experimenting with advanced AI models.
“Securing an AI Factory for the Czech Republic is a crucial step that places us more prominently on the European AI map. Within CZAI, we will respect national specificities in implementing AI tools across business, the public sector, and research. The KarolAIna supercomputer will become the flagship of the Czech Republic’s AI infrastructure, enabling us to meet the rapidly growing demand for AI computing. Combining advanced infrastructure, software tools, secure data environments, expert teams, and coordinated training activities will accelerate AI adoption across sectors, support national and European digital strategies, and foster innovation, economic growth, and social benefit,” said Vít Vondrák, CZAI coordinator and IT4Innovations Managing Director.
The CZAI consortium is led by VSB – 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 Brno University of Technology. Experts from these renowned institutions will contribute their know-how across a wide range of fields. They will support AI integration in industry, including manufacturing optimisation, downtime reduction, digital twins, and robotics. In healthcare and life sciences, they will focus on drug development, molecular design, and clinical decision support. The energy sector will benefit from AI tools for prediction, flow optimisation, and diagnostics, accelerating the transition towards sustainable systems. Public administration will be able to streamline processes and online services through AI, while cybersecurity efforts will focus on advanced detection and defence. In transport, AI will contribute to autonomous mobility, smart infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks.
“The Czech AI Factory will fundamentally change how artificial intelligence is developed and deployed in the Czech Republic. The project will not only provide world-class computing infrastructure but will also open new opportunities for a wide range of stakeholders across the economy and society – including a completely new group of users – thanks to its comprehensive portfolio of AI services. Together with our partners, we will support applications ranging fromindustrial production, energy, and healthcare to public administration, cybersecurity, and the future mobility. All this on a scale that would be impossible without the Czech AI Factory. I am delighted that CIIRC CTU will play a key role in building on our strong background in connecting top-level research with real-world applications. We expect this to be a breakthrough step in transforming the Czech Republic from an AI user into a creator of trustworthy, sovereign European AI,” said Prof. Vladimír Mařík, Scientific Director of the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics, Czech Technical University in Prague (CIIRC CTU).
The total cost of the Czech AI Factory amounts to nearly CZK 1 billion (approximately EUR 40 million). Half of the funding will come from EuroHPC JU, which will utilise 50% of KarolAIna’s computing time and related AI services, while the other half will be co-financed by the Czech Republic. Approximately half of the budget will be allocated to the procurement and operation of the KarolAIna supercomputer, with the rest dedicated to the delivery of CZAI services to clients.
Two new AI Campuses will also be established as part of CZAI – one in Prague and the other in Brno. These will serve as contact points for students and young professionals, complementing the existing AI campus in Ostrava, which is currently under development as part of the LUMI AI Factory.
The Czech Republic succeeded in the first round of EuroHPC JU calls last year with the LUMI AI Factory, which was selected as the largest European AI Factory to date. The LUMI AI Factory builds on the successful LUMI consortium, which operates one of Europe’s most powerful supercomputers. The Czech Republic participates in this consortium through IT4Innovations. This partnership enables Czech involvement in all LUMI AI Factory activities and use Europe's most powerful AI computational and data resources. These are planned to be operated by the consortium in Kajaani, Finland, from 2027.
