A new large-scale initiative called ‘AI Factory Austria’ (AI:AT) will have a lasting positive impact on the Austrian artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. As officially announced on 11 March 2025, funding has been secured from the European High Performance Computing (EuroHPC) Joint Undertaking programme of the EU. In doing so, AI:AT is making a significant contribution to the European initiatives designed to increase Europe's competitiveness and innovative capacity in the field of AI.
The project consortium, consisting of Advanced Computing Austria (ACA), the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and a strong network of academic and industrial partners, will create a state-of-the-art computing infrastructure and basic structures for a comprehensive AI hub that extends beyond the factory. This integrated approach will foster innovation, strengthen AI expertise and support both Austrian and European competitiveness in the global technology landscape.
‘By jointly developing an AI-optimised supercomputer and an AI factory hub, we are creating the basis for powerful, trustworthy AI applications throughout Austria. As a network node, AI Factory Austria will ensure that all relevant players – from research to industry – work together efficiently, thereby sustainably strengthening Austria as a location for innovation," says AIT Scientific Director Andreas Kugi.
Expansion of the existing infrastructure
Building on the Vienna Scientific Cluster (VSC), a new AI-optimised supercomputer is being procured that will be available to researchers, start-ups, companies and public administration. This will enable complex AI models to be efficiently trained and transferred to various fields of application.
‘AI:AT enables us to significantly expand the support services from existing projects such as EuroCC and make them accessible to an even larger customer base,’ adds ACA project manager Markus Stöhr. "This is achieved by providing software solutions for AI use cases and by directly supporting customer projects. The significant increase in computing capacity also enables the training of larger AI models, which was not possible with our previous infrastructure."
"The establishment of the AI Factory is an important milestone on the road to a high-performance AI ecosystem in Austria as a centre of innovation. This project puts a large, visible building block on the Republic's AI map. As the core of a future AI hub, it is intended to become a centre of attraction and a meeting place for the best minds, attracting the most innovative companies with high-end supercomputers and comprehensive services. ‘With this focus on commercial use and exploitation, we want to drive digitalisation forward, improve the competitiveness of companies and make key AI technology available to as many start-ups as possible, opening doors to new solutions and markets," says Peter Hanke, Federal Minister for Innovation.
AI Factory Hub and services
In addition to the hardware upgrade, a physical AI Factory Hub is also being set up as a one-stop shop, co-working space and community centre that will offer services in the following areas with around 60 planned employees:
§ Community support and ecosystem development and expansion: central meeting point for project teams, consultants and partners.
Operational support: low-threshold access to AI infrastructure from initial pilot projects to productive workloads.
Innovation support: accelerated product development through proof-of-concept support and consulting.
Training and capacity building: comprehensive training offerings ranging from introductory courses to specialised masterclasses.
Use cases and impact
AI:AT promotes cross-sectoral projects in areas such as biotechnology, sustainability, energy and production efficiency. A centralised one-stop shop makes it possible for SMEs and start-ups in particular to benefit from supercomputing resources and expert support. At the same time, clear guidelines and secure data environments ensure trustworthy and ethical AI development.
Looking to the future
With funding from the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, AI:AT is building a comprehensive AI ecosystem that advances research, businesses and public institutions alike. The combination of state-of-the-art computing infrastructure and targeted support services will further consolidate Austria's international position as a centre of technology and innovation.
AI:AT creates synergies with other flagship projects in the field of basic research on artificial intelligence in a unique way. Worth mentioning here are the planned AI centre of the University of Vienna and the TU Vienna, the Institute for AI in Biomedicine (‘AITHYRA’) founded by the ÖAW and Boehringer Ingelheim, and the FWF-funded Cluster of Excellence ‘Bilateral AI’.
AI:AT consortium The AI Factory Austria (AI:AT) consortium is led by Advanced Computing Austria GmbH (ACA) and the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. Other partners include TU Wien, the University of Vienna, BOKU University, the University of Innsbruck, TU Graz, JKU Linz, the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), the high-tech incubator INiTS and EODC Earth Observation Data Centre for Water Resources Monitoring GmbH.