Pharos - the Greek AI Factory

prai
Date : 17.12.2024

The Institute of Computer Science (ICS) of the Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (FORTH) participates in the project “Pharos: the Greek AI Factory”, one of the first 7 AI Factories of the European Union. The proposal that was submitted by the Ministry of Digital Governance was recently approved by the Joint Undertaking for High-Performance Computing (EuroHPC). The project is one of the flagship projects under the Blueprint for Greece’s AI Transformation and will leverage the high-performance computing infrastructure of the “DAEDALUS” supercomputer, enabling seamless collaboration with other European infrastructures. The cooperation amongst AI Factories across countries, will ensure the collective data produced can be utilized for the benefit of all European citizens.

More specifically, an ecosystem of innovative best practices will be developed in Greece that will:

  • Enhance competitiveness by providing advanced computational resources, access to big data, and specialised human expertise.
  • Support the development of reliable AI services aligned with European AI regulations (AI Act).
  • Promote innovation in the targeted key industrial sectors, i.e. sustainability, through satellite data analysis for natural resource management and mitigating the effects of climate change.
  • Invest in human capital via training programs, fostering academic collaborations, upskilling and attracting talent in the AI domain. 
  • Ensure innovation by connecting with other relevant initiatives, such as European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), Data Spaces, National Competence Centers (NCCs), and other key projects .
  • Foster a cross-border innovation ecosystem through AI, delivering widespread benefits for all EU countries.

ICS participates in the Pharos consortium which comprises GRNET SA – National Infrastructures for Research and Technology (Coordinator), NCSR Demokritos, National Technical University of Athens, ATHENA Research Center, Center for Research and Technology – Hellas, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of Piraeus, National Documentation Center IDIKA SA along with GrowthFund and the Special Secretariat of Foresight. The project’s duration is 3 years and the total budget of 30 million euros is co-funded by the European Commission and National Sources. ICS coordinates the activities of the project related to the applications of Artificial Intelligence in the domain of Health. Scientific coordinator of the participation of ICS in Pharos is the Director of the Institute Prof. Dimitris Plexousakis. 

More information about the project and its goals can be found in the relevant web page of the Ministry of Digital Governance (https://mindigital.gr/archives/7051)