The grand duchy will host one of seven AI factories at the cost of €112m. Photo: Shutterstock

The grand duchy will host one of seven AI factories at the cost of €112m. Photo: Shutterstock

Luxembourg's bid to host a supercomputer optimised for artificial intelligence and the establishment of an AI Factory has been accepted, and the grand duchy’s cabinet has given the go-ahead for the project. Budget: €112m, of which €60m will be borne by Luxembourg.

The good news had been expected. It was announced by on Tuesday 10 December , and now it's official.

The Luxembourg application was submitted as part of the EU's European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking. This programme aims to build a European ecosystem for training advanced artificial intelligence models and developing artificial intelligence solutions using European supercomputers. At the end of the selection procedure, seven projects were selected across Europe in Barcelona. The selected locations were in Luxembourg, Bologna, Kajaani, Linköping, Stuttgart and Athens.

The Luxembourg project led by a consortium coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Research and Higher Education.

Tool for the country's digital ambitions

"This ambitious project will place Luxembourg among the European leaders in AI, by joining an initial group of six other AI Factories located in centres of excellence in Europe," stated a press release issued after Luxembourg’s cabinet meeting on Friday. "Luxembourg is thus taking another step forward in its ambition to become a major player in artificial intelligence and digital technology in Europe."

The consortium presenting the project is made up of Luxprovide, Luxinnovation, Luxembourg National Data Service, University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology. MeluXina-AI will be operated by Luxprovide, which is already responsible for the MeluXina and MeluXina-Q supercomputers (the future quantum computer), and will be integrated into the EuroHPC network. At the same time, Luxinnovation will coordinate the activities of the AI Factory, which will use this infrastructure to stimulate the national AI ecosystem.

The supercomputer will be integrated into Luxconnect's data centres in Bissen and Bettembourg, with 50% of the computing capacity reserved for the EuroHPC network and European countries and 50% dedicated to national needs. "The AI Factory and MeluXina-AI will form the cornerstone of the future national AI strategy, scheduled for publication in spring 2025, alongside the national strategies for data and quantum technologies. This infrastructure will support public and private research, international collaborations and priority national projects, and will thus enable us to meet the technological and economic challenges of tomorrow", stated the government.

€112m budget

The total cost of the Meluxina-AI supercomputer is estimated at €112m. €80m will be needed to acquire the supercomputer and €32m to host and operate it. EuroHPC JU will contribute 50% of these costs.

Operating costs over three years are estimated at €14m. Half of this will be covered by EuroHPC JU and €3m will come from Luxinnovation's own funds. In total, the Luxembourg state is therefore committed to co-financing this strategic project to the tune of €60m.

Read the original French-language version of this news report /

Related articles