The Czech Republic is set to receive its first dedicated AI factory, complete with a high-performance supercomputer. The project aims to support research, industry, and start-ups in the use of artificial intelligence. Ostrava will become the centre of national AI excellence.
The Czech Republic is among the successful applicants in the latest round of European calls for so-called “AI Factories”. These calls were launched in three rounds by the European Joint Undertaking EuroHPC, which pools resources from the EU, participating states, and private actors to position Europe as a global leader in supercomputing, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence.
The six new AI Factories will join the existing network of 13 locations, which provides start-ups, companies, research institutions, and public organisations with extensive support in AI tool deployment, data management, training, knowledge transfer, and talent development.
“The success of the Czech AI Factory is a milestone not only for VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava but for the entire Czech innovation landscape. Thanks to the new supercomputer and the expertise of our partners, the Czech Republic is taking a decisive step towards actively contributing to European excellence in AI. We are proud that Ostrava is at the centre of this transformation,” stated Igor Ivan, Rector of VŠB.
At the heart of the project is “KarolAIna”, a new supercomputer optimised specifically for AI applications. Based on experiences with the EuroHPC petascale system, KarolAIna will feature around 340 of the most advanced AI chips, offering computing performance of 850 PFlop/s in typical AI operations. The supercomputer will be available to industry, research teams, start-ups, and public institutions, enabling training, deployment, and experimentation with AI models.
The CZAI consortium includes, alongside VŠB, the Czech Technical University in Prague, the International Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Center, Charles University, the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences, and Brno University of Technology.
“The Czech AI Factory will fundamentally change the development and use of AI in the Czech Republic. It provides first-class computing infrastructure and opens up new opportunities for companies, research, and public institutions,” said Prof. Vladimír Mařík, Scientific Director of the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics at CTU Prague.
The total cost of the project is around one billion CZK (€40 million), with half funded by EuroHPC JU and half by the Czech Republic. A large portion is allocated to the KarolAIna supercomputer and its operation, with the remainder supporting services for customers of the Czech AI Factory. In addition, two AI campuses will be established in Prague and Brno to nurture young talent.
Only recently, the first Czech quantum computer was officially inaugurated in Ostrava. The system, named VLQ, is installed at the IT4Innovations Supercomputing Centre and is part of a European infrastructure for high-performance computing and quantum research.
