Slovenian National Supercomputing Network

Slovenian AI Factory (SLAIF)

Slovenian AI Factory
Building Slovenia’s AI Ecosystem

On 12 March 2025, the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) announced six newly selected sites to host new AI Factories across Europe, bringing the total number to thirteen. The Slovenian AI Factory (SLAIF), which includes a new EuroHPC AI-optimized supercomputer hosted in Slovenia, is one of the selected proposals. The project will be co-funded by the EuroHPC JU and the Republic of Slovenia (through the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation). The new supercomputer system will be hosted by IZUM in collaboration with the Jožef Stefan Institute and Arnes in a new advanced datacentre built by Arnes on the Dravske elektrarne Maribor hydropower plant campus. The AI Factory itself is a collaboration between the Jožef Stefan Institute, University of Ljubljana, University of Maribor, University of Nova Gorica, IZUM, Arnes, University of Primorska, Faculty of Information Studies Novo mesto, Chamber of Commerce of Slovenia and Technology Park Ljubljana.

AI Factories are dynamic ecosystems charged to promote innovation, collaboration and research in the field of AI. The Slovenian AI Factory (SLAIF) will enhance Slovenia’s AI capabilities by integrating a cutting-edge AI-optimized supercomputer with a dynamic AI ecosystem, supporting industry, research, and public institutions. The supercomputer will replace the current Vega EuroHPC system by 2027, ensuring continued excellence in computing and storage infrastructure for industry and science. It will deliver 10 exaflops (Eflops, 1018 floating-point operations per second) in mixed precision for AI applications and 100 petaflops (PFlops) in double precision for HPC tasks. Designed with sustainability in mind, it will be powered by renewable hydroelectric energy, reducing environmental impact while ensuring that Slovenia remains at the forefront of AI-driven scientific discovery and innovation. Additionally, the supercomputer’s cloud infrastructure will allow companies to integrate AI capabilities seamlessly into their operations, with a second-phase hardware upgrade planned for 2028–2029 to extend its lifespan and maintain technological competitiveness.

Arnes data centre

The new Slovenian HPC system that will power the Slovenian AI Factory will be housed in the new advanced datacentre built by Arnes on the Dravske elektrarne Maribor hydropower plant campus.

Enhanced Machine Learning with the Power of HPC

Beyond the hardware, SLAIF will support the development of a comprehensive AI ecosystem that brings together Slovenia’s expertise in AI and HPC. Currently, AI expertise is spread across many institutions, but SLAIF will unite these efforts into a coordinated hub, bridging the gap between academia and industry. SLAIF will be a one-stop-shop for businesses, startups, and researchers, providing access to AI infrastructure, expertise, and data.

SLAIF in Service to Industry

SLAIF will drive AI adoption and innovation across multiple sectors, ensuring Slovenia remains a leader in AI-driven transformation. It will play a crucial role in the green transition, leveraging AI to optimize energy systems, environmental monitoring, and smart agriculture, improving sustainability efforts across a range of industries. In healthcare and biotechnology, SLAIF will support analyses of multi-modal medical data, facilitating personalized medicine. The Slovenian pharmaceutical industry will benefit from AI-driven drug discovery tools, accelerating the development of new treatments. SLAIF will also support the use of language technologies in digital services, media and creative industries, as well as the use of AI in a variety of sciences, facilitating, for example, the design of new materials.

SLAIF and its Services

To facilitate the adoption of AI across these sectors, SLAIF will provide a comprehensive support framework, including sector-specific AI-development and deployment guidance and support services, access to pre-trained AI models, data, and tailored cloud-based AI services. Companies and researchers will benefit from HPC resources, real-time AI analytics tools, and domain-specific AI training programs, ensuring smooth integration of AI solutions. To support businesses and researchers, SLAIF will establish on-campus facilities and services, including co-working spaces, where startups can develop and/or test AI-driven solutions. It will provide access to industry-specific case studies, AI tools, and cloud-based resources, reducing entry barriers for businesses of all sizes.

An AI Factory requires a complete ecosystem.

Building Knowledge and Developing Talent

Developing AI talent will be a core component of SLAIF’s mission. The initiative will introduce specialized AI training programs, targeting students, researchers, and professionals. Through partnerships with Slovenian universities, research institutes, and industry leaders, SLAIF will provide hands-on AI education, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled professionals. Internships, hackathons, and industry-led workshops will further strengthen Slovenia’s AI workforce, preparing the next generation of AI experts to drive innovation and economic growth.

The AI Factory includes a training program for skill development targeting
AI talent at industrial partners, start-ups and research institutions.

Data accessibility and governance

Data accessibility and governance is a key priority of SLAIF. It will facilitate secure and open access to AI-relevant datasets, enabling researchers and businesses to develop robust AI models. Aligned with FAIR data principles, SLAIF will support data-sharing initiatives, while ensuring compliance with privacy regulations. SLAIF will contribute to a broader European AI ecosystem through better data availability and secure collaboration.

By integrating world-class AI computing power, industry collaboration, talent development, and data accessibility, SLAIF will establish Slovenia as a regional AI leader. It will boost Slovenia’s economic and scientific competitiveness and ensure AI serves the needs of its businesses, researchers, and society as a whole, contributing to Europe’s broader goal of AI sovereignty and sustainable digital transformation.

European HPC Ecosystem and the AI Continent

The European union has established a broad ecosystem to support a comprehensive infrastructure that will boost the development of infrastructure for supercomputing, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. It is powered by a series of projects funded by the EU, together with member states, through the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. Slovenia is well integrated in the new ecosystem: it has established the first EuroHPC system (the Vega system, hosted at IZUM in Maribor) and created a national competence center for HPC within the existing Slovenian National Supercomputer Network Consortium SLING. Slovenian institutions are active participants in the centers of excellence (even coordinating one of them) and collaborate with many of the European supercompting hosting centers. In collaboration with CINECA, Slovenia is participating in the EuroHPC Leonardo system, the first European peta-scale system, and the IT4LIA AI system as the evolution of Leonardo with a new top-class AI-optimized supercomputer. The projects are co-funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.

AI Factory
European AI Factories are building a strong ecosystem.

The new Slovenian AI Factory will not be linked just within the Slovenian national infrastructure of the SLING consortium: it will become a member of the European network of AI factories and thus open up the ecosystem for researchers, innovators, start-ups and established companies in Slovenia and its broader region. It will bring access to the latest technologies in supercomputing simulations, data analysis as well as services and tools in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence domain.

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