Galway university plays its part in Ireland's AI revolution
Ireland has secured €10 million in joint European and Irish Government funding to establish a national gateway to Europe's AI network.
The AIF IRL-Antenna is a major national initiative that will accelerate artificial intelligence adoption and innovation across Ireland while strengthening the country’s position within Europe’s rapidly expanding AI ecosystem.
It is supported by the Irish Government through the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), alongside European funding provided through EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), Europe's leading high-performance computing and AI infrastructure initiative.
Led by the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) at University of Galway, in partnership with CeADAR, Ireland's Centre for AI, the AIF IRL-Antenna will serve as Ireland's national access point to Europe's advanced AI and high-performance computing infrastructure.
The initiative will provide startups, SMEs, researchers and public sector organisations with streamlined access to world-class AI resources, technical expertise, training programmes and innovation support.
The initiative forms part of a broader European effort led through EuroHPC to strengthen AI excellence, foster innovation and ensure that businesses, researchers and public sector organisations across member states can benefit from access to cutting-edge AI technologies and infrastructure.
Through the AIF IRL-Antenna, organisations will be able to engage with Europe's growing network of AI Factories and high-performance computing facilities, enabling them to accelerate innovation, improve competitiveness and build AI capabilities that support long-term economic growth.
A particular focus of the AIF IRL-Antenna will be supporting Irish startups and SMEs, helping them overcome barriers to AI adoption by providing access to computing resources and specialist expertise that would otherwise be beyond reach for many growing businesses. By lowering these barriers, the initiative aims to accelerate the development of new products, services and business models powered by AI.
The programme will also support researchers and public sector organisations in developing responsible, scalable AI solutions that address societal and economic challenges while promoting trustworthy and ethical AI practices.
ICHEC Director Prof. J.-C. Desplat said: “The AIF IRL-Antenna leverages Ireland’s leading Centres for Advanced Computing and Artificial Intelligence to streamline access to EU sovereign AI platforms and services, and to promote their adoption within the Irish start-up and scale-up ecosystem. The partnership involves seven regional innovation hubs, which ensures that all companies can equally benefit, irrespective of their location.”
CeADAR CEO Dr John Lonsdale said, CeADAR provides applied AI support to companies across Ireland and the organisation is delighted to be working with ICHEC to deliver this programme.
Interim VP of Research and Innovation at University of Galway Aengus Parsons, said: “University of Galway is proud to support ICHEC as it leads this national initiative to bring AI infrastructure and services to Ireland's innovation ecosystem. Building on ICHEC's established track record in delivering advanced computing at national and European level, this work places Ireland at the forefront of the European AI Factories network – and reflects the University's own mission to deliver education and research with profound impact.”