SK:AI:AT was established as a joint initiative of the Computing Centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) and the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (FIIT STU). The partnership combines experience in operating and providing access to high-performance computing infrastructure with expertise in artificial intelligence, software solution development, research, and education.
The Slovak AI Factory, Antenna, is also closely linked to AI Factory Austria (AI:AT)—its partner AI Factory within the European EuroHPC network. Thanks to this connection, SK:AI:AT is not an isolated national initiative, but rather an entry point into a broader European ecosystem of computing resources, experts, tools, and services for AI.
Computing Centre of SAS
It is a long-standing provider of computing and digital services for the scientific community. In the field of high-performance computing, it ensures the operation of the national HPC infrastructure and supports its use in research, development, and innovation.
VS SAV operates the Slovak supercomputing systems Perun and Devana, which provide both CPU and GPU computing capabilities for a wide range of applications—from traditional scientific simulations and data-intensive tasks to machine learning and modern AI workloads. Through the National Supercomputing Centre, it offers users not only raw computing time but also technical support, consultations, training, and assistance in the efficient use of the HPC infrastructure.
Within SK:AI:AT, VS SAV contributes primarily its experience in operating and providing access to large-scale computing infrastructure, as well as in supporting users with the deployment of computationally intensive applications. Its role is to connect the needs of AI projects with suitable national and European computing resources, and to assist users in preparing, testing, and optimizing their workloads for HPC and GPU environments.
An important part of this role also involves facilitating access to the broader European HPC ecosystem. For a project that begins with an experiment on national infrastructure, SK:AI:AT can thus help pave the way for further scaling on systems available through EuroHPC.
Within SK:AI:AT, the Computing Centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (VS SAV) focuses primarily on: AI/HPC compute, technical support and workload optimization, access to national and European infrastructure, support for Proof of Concept (PoC) projects, and the development of computational services for AI.
Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies of the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava (FIIT STU)
is an academic partner of SK:AI:AT and contributes expertise to the project in the fields of computer science, artificial intelligence, and the development of advanced digital solutions.
The faculty’s research teams focus on the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as their applications. For SK:AI:AT, this expertise is particularly valuable during the transition from identifying a suitable AI use case to designing a specific technical solution, conducting experiments, and developing prototypes and Proof-of-Concept solutions.
At the same time, FIIT STU brings to the partnership a strong foundation in education and the development of AI talent. The faculty provides university-level education in computer science and information technology.
Within SK:AI:AT, FIIT STU will therefore not only participate in the actual development of AI solutions. Its role will also include transferring the latest research findings into practice, creating educational activities tailored to various levels of AI readiness, and connecting companies with experts, researchers, students, and future AI specialists.
An important part of the collaboration will also be creating space for practical interaction with users—ranging from expert consultations and workshops and the joint development of solutions to coworking and community activities.
Within SK:AI:AT, FIIT STU focuses primarily on: AI expertise and professional consulting, the design and development of AI solutions, PoC and experimental development, education and the development of AI skills, the transfer of research findings into practice, and collaboration with companies and developers.
AI Factory Austria – AI:AT
is the national Austrian AI Factory, established within the framework of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking initiative, and a partner AI Factory to the Slovak SK:AI:AT.
Its ambition is to guide organizations from the initial idea to the scalable use of AI, and to create the conditions for the effective, sovereign, and trustworthy application of artificial intelligence across the economy, public administration, and research. In doing so, AI:AT combines access to computing infrastructure with practical expertise and an extensive innovation ecosystem.
AI:AT is designed to be more than just a provider of computing power. Its services cover the entire AI implementation process—from initial consulting and identifying the appropriate approach, through AI & Computing Infrastructure, AI & Data Implementation, and AI Adoption & Innovation Services, to Trustworthy AI, education, skills development, and community services.
An important element is the connection between research, industry, startups, and the public sector. AI:AT is led by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and Advanced Computing Austria (ACA), with a broader Austrian consortium of universities, research organizations, and innovation partners participating in its implementation.
How do SK:AI:AT and AI:AT collaborate?
The connection with AI:AT enables SK:AI:AT to leverage the experience and expertise of the more developed AI Factory, while simultaneously bringing its services and capabilities closer to the Slovak environment.
The goal is not to redirect every Slovak client to Austria. SK:AI:AT is intended to provide a local entry point, expert support, and services within Slovakia; at the same time, where it makes sense, the project can facilitate connections to the experts, infrastructure, and services of AI:AT—and, subsequently, to the broader European network of AI Factories.
The cooperation will encompass, for example, the exchange of technical know-how and best practices, joint professional and educational activities, the linking of relevant projects and experts, access to AI/HPC infrastructure, and the gradual development of compatible services and tools.
For SK:AI:AT, AI:AT represents not only a partner AI Factory but also a bridge to the broader European AI ecosystem.