On Tuesday, 12 May 2026, the Czech AI Factory (CZAI) project was officially launched in Ostrava at a gathering of leading experts in artificial intelligence, representatives of the state, public administration, and industry. The project establishes the Czech node of the European network of AI Factories being developed under the pan-European EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU). CZAI connects supercomputing capacities, data, expert support, and application know-how into a single functional ecosystem of AI services available to companies, startups, public administration, and research organizations. CZAI aims to significantly strengthen the position of the Czech Republic within the European artificial intelligence ecosystem.
Artificial intelligence is shaping Europe’s future competitiveness. Technology and computing power are necessary, but not sufficient conditions. The difference between a laboratory model and a solution that reliably operates on a production line, in a hospital, in a distribution network, or in an autonomous vehicle lies in a deep understanding of the specific domain, its data, processes, regulations, and operational conditions. This combination is where the main value of Czech AI Factory lies. The project responds to the lack of specialized AI infrastructure in the Czech Republic and will connect the newly acquired KarolAIna supercomputer optimized for artificial intelligence with a comprehensive portfolio of AI services, including software tools, data management, and expert support.
“Czech AI Factory represents a major step towards making the Czech Republic an active part of the European next-generation artificial intelligence infrastructure. Our goal is not only to provide computing power, but to create an open ecosystem that connects supercomputers, data, expert support, and application know-how into practical services for companies, public administration, and research. Through integration with the European AI Factories network and EuroHPC JU supercomputers, Czech organizations will gain access to cutting-edge AI infrastructure and the opportunity to participate in building technologically sovereign and trustworthy European AI,” said Vít Vondrák, Director of the national supercomputing center IT4Innovations and coordinator of the project.
Leading Czech universities and research organizations are involved in the project, which has a total budget of nearly CZK 1 billion. Half of the funding is provided by the pan-European EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, while the other half is financed by the Czech Republic through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
“The development of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing is one of the key priorities for the competitiveness of both Europe and the Czech Republic. Czech AI Factory will connect research, infrastructure, and practical services for companies and the public sector and help accelerate the practical adoption of AI in areas with high social and economic impact,” said Lukáš Kačena, Government Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence at the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic.
The Czech AI Factory project is jointly implemented by six leading Czech institutions in the fields of supercomputing, artificial intelligence, and digital innovation. The project coordinator is VSB – Technical University of Ostrava (VSB-TUO) and its national supercomputing center IT4Innovations, which operates the Czech supercomputing infrastructure and has long participated in other European EuroHPC JU projects, including the LUMI AI Factory. The Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CIIRC CTU) is responsible within CZAI for developing AI services across multiple domains, cooperation with testbeds and industry, and building the national AI ecosystem. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering of CTU (FEE CTU) is also involved in the project. The International Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Center (INDRC), a private non-profit research institute, leads activities supporting business development and technology transfer and provides training in ethics, regulatory compliance, and innovation management. The Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University (MFF UK) contributes through the development of language, multimodal, and other AI models and tools. Brno University of Technology (BUT) contributes its top AI teams from the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT), Faculty of Civil Engineering (FCE), and the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) in areas such as speech processing, cybersecurity, mobility, and medical applications, while also leading the educational and training part of the project. The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague) participates in the development of AI services for healthcare and life sciences and contributes expertise in chemical biology and data-oriented research.
During the official launch event held at IT4Innovations, one of the first concrete solutions was presented. IT4Innovations and Brno University of Technology are jointly developing an AI voicebot for the 112 emergency line for the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. The system can automatically communicate with callers, obtain basic information about emergency situations, and pass it on to operators of the integrated rescue system. The technology is already being tested in the 112 environment, and CZAI plans further development using advanced language models, voice technologies, and high-performance computing capacities. “Czech AI Factory will help apply cutting-edge AI technologies and supercomputing infrastructure to solve real-world problems in security, crisis management, and public services,” said Jan Černocký, Head of the Department of Computer Graphics and Multimedia at FIT BUT.
CZAI focuses on application areas including industry, healthcare, energy, public administration, cybersecurity, and future mobility. Users will gain access to AI-optimized computing capacities, expert support, data services, AI solution testing, and educational programs.
“Today, Czech industry needs to adopt new technologies faster, optimize production, and respond to shortages of qualified workers. CZAI will make it possible to connect AI with real manufacturing processes, data, and industrial testbeds so that companies can use advanced AI tools without the need to build their own extensive infrastructure,” said Petr Kadera, Head of the Intelligent Systems for Industry Department at CIIRC CTU and guarantor for industrial and advanced manufacturing services. Regarding the role of CIIRC CTU in the project, he added: “The real value of Czech AI Factory does not lie only in unique supercomputing capacity, but in people who understand both artificial intelligence and the specific sector where it is deployed. At CIIRC CTU, we have been building this combination for years across industry, healthcare, energy, transport, and public administration, and now we are bringing it into this national initiative at the European level.”
“In healthcare and life sciences, we see enormous potential in working with large-scale biological and medical data. CZAI will enable faster development of AI models for diagnostics, personalized medicine, and new drug research,” said Jiří Vondrášek, Head of the Bioinformatics Group at IOCB Prague and guarantor for healthcare and life sciences together with Tomáš Pluskal.“ We will also contribute to service development through advanced AI tools for intelligent knowledge retrieval and linking using RAG and Knowledge Graph technologies,” added Vít Dočkal, Director of INDRC.
“Today’s energy sector requires more accurate predictions, more efficient management, and better use of data. The combination of AI and supercomputing can significantly help optimize renewable energy sources, energy grids, and predictive maintenance,” said Stanislav Mišák, Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) at VSB-TUO and guarantor for energy and sustainability.
“Public administration and cybersecurity will increasingly depend on the ability to use AI safely and effectively in the coming years. CZAI will provide infrastructure and expert support for the development of trustworthy AI solutions compliant with European legislation,” emphasized Viliam Lisý from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at CTU Prague (FEE CTU), guarantor for public administration and cybersecurity.
“Transport and future mobility will increasingly rely on data, simulations, and autonomous decision-making. CZAI will help develop AI solutions for logistics, traffic management, and intelligent mobility systems,” explained Petr Šimoník, Vice-Dean for Industry Cooperation and Commercialization at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of VSB-TUO and guarantor for transport and future mobility.
Charles University leads the development of AI tools, models, and algorithms within the project. “Together with the other partners, we will develop core text, visual, speech, and multimodal models and tools for both Czech and other languages,” added Jan Hajič, Deputy Director of the Institute of Formal and Applied Linguistics (UFAL) at MFF UK.
CZAI will closely cooperate within the EuroHPC AI Factories network and with other initiatives supporting the deployment of artificial intelligence into practice. CZAI supports the entire AI lifecycle, from data preparation and model training to deployment, and emphasizes trustworthy, explainable, and energy-efficient AI in line with European values and regulation. CZAI creates the foundation for the long-term development of artificial intelligence, including future large-scale European AI programs. The total cost of Czech AI Factory is nearly CZK 1 billion (€40 million). Half of the funding is provided by EuroHPC JU, while the remaining half comes from Czech national sources. Approximately half of the funds will be used for the acquisition and operation of the KarolAIna supercomputer, while the remaining resources will support services provided to Czech AI Factory clients.
