Posts Tagged ‘AI’
The first private AI supercomputer cluster in the Baltics has been created
Latvian tech company Datakom and its specialised artificial intelligence division, AI Datacenter Engineers, have created the first private high-performance supercomputer cluster designed to run and train artificial intelligence models. This step marks a new era in the region’s technological independence, offering companies and public institutions the opportunity to develop AI solutions in a secure environment right here in Latvia.
Datakom’s supercomputer cluster consists of a combination of two systems, capable of reaching a performance of two petaflops. In other words, the system is capable of performing two quadrillion calculations per second. With such capacity, it can, for example, run AI-based video processing and analysis systems, host a local AI chatbot using models with 400 billion parameters, or be used as a local software development and analysis assistant.
“This is a real, full-fledged supercomputer that is now available to any company in the Baltics. Compared to Apple’s currently most powerful Studio computer, which has 100 CPU cores, this supercomputer has 12.3 thousand computing cores connected via an exceptionally fast data-transfer network, thus enabling near real-time operation between processors,” says Datakom’s Head of Business Development, Edijs Tanons. He notes that not so long ago—back in 2020—such performance was available only to the world’s wealthiest companies, which could afford to use one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. Today, technological progress makes it possible to democratise this enormous computing power, including by making it available in Latvia.
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Originally published on 18 Dec
Read MoreAS “Latvenergo” becomes a member of the Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence
The Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence (MILA) is pleased to announce that Latvenergo JSC, one of the leading energy companies in the Baltics, has joined its circle of members, creating and developing innovative solutions in energy production, transmission and trade.
The accession of AS Latvenergo to MILA confirms the growing interest of the energy sector in the use of artificial intelligence solutions. The company is already actively using data analytics, automation and forecasting models that help improve energy efficiency, optimize production capacities and ensure stable system operation. Artificial intelligence (AI) enables even more accurate forecasting of electricity consumption, market dynamics and support real-time decision-making — aspects that are becoming critical in today’s energy industry.
Simultaneously with the admission of AS “Latvenergo” to the MILA board, Ģirts Vikmanis adds to the membership of the MILA board, JSC “Latvenergo” Director of IT Development and Artificial Intelligence. Girt has extensive experience in digital transformation and technology development, and the IT development and artificial intelligence function under his leadership plays a key role in the implementation of innovative energy solutions.
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Originally published on 17 Nov
Read MoreAI Salon Opens in Riga – A New Platform for Latvia’s Artificial Intelligence Community
On November 6, the opening event of AI Salon Riga took place at the Tet headquarters – the first gathering in Latvia of the global artificial intelligence community AI Salon.
The Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence (MILA) was honored to participate in the event, where Chair of the Board Oksana Sivokobiļska shared her vision for the development of Latvia’s AI ecosystem and the need to strengthen cooperation between the public sector, academia, and industry.
The goal of AI Salon is to bring together people who work with artificial intelligence daily – developers, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and product specialists – to exchange experiences, build new connections, and collectively strengthen AI literacy in Latvia.
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Originally published on 11 Nov
Read MoreMILA has developed practical guidelines for the implementation of artificial intelligence in public administration
The Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence (MILA) has developed the first practical guidelines for state and municipal institutions on the implementation and use of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in public administration. The guidelines will help institutions better understand the potential of AI and more clearly understand how to organise the process of introducing and applying AI solutions.
The document was created within the project “Development of Practical Guidelines for the Introduction of Artificial Intelligence in Institutional Work and Services,” in cooperation with AI Master Lab experts, commissioned by the State Administration School (VAS) and with methodological support from the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development Republic of Latvia (VARAM).
As MILA emphasises, the purpose of the guidelines is to provide a practical and easy-to-use framework for public institutions, enabling them to assess the suitability of AI use, prepare their organisations for the introduction of such technologies, and ensure a responsible, transparent and publicly accountable approach to the use of AI.
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Originally published on 10 Nov
Read MoreLIAA digitization support program: 5.4 million euros reserved, but funding still available
Since July, when the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) began implementing the second round of the digitalization support program, the total funding of which is 18.5 million euros, 5.4 million euros have been reserved and entrepreneurs will be able to apply for the program until the support funds are available.
“Digitalization and the implementation of artificial intelligence solutions are one of the ways to increase the competitiveness of the Latvian economy, therefore it is a special pleasure that the majority, or 4.28 million euros, of the currently reserved funds in this program are intended specifically for projects in the field of artificial intelligence. We will most likely accept applications in this program at least until the end of this year,” emphasizes LIAA Director Ieva Jāgere.
A total of 285 applications have been received in the program so far, including 66 for the implementation of artificial intelligence solutions.
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Originally published on 5 Sep
Read MoreEstonian AI startup Vocal Image raises $3,6M
Estonia continues to adopt AI and build new success stories powered by it. This week, Estonian voice coaching platform Vocal Image raised $3.6M in seed funding to expand its AI-powered communication training app, writes TechCrunch. The funding was led by Paris-based Educapital, with participation from Estonian Specialist VC and German Generations Fund.
The investment will fuel expansion and new language localisations beyond the app’s current English, Spanish, German, French, Ukrainian, and Russian offerings.
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Originally published on 2 Sep
Read MoreSchool-born Startup Joins Google-Funded Accelerator to Reinvent Learning
Discussions have been increasing in Lithuania about how artificial intelligence will change learning – but BBright is already doing it. The team founded just a few years ago is now helping thousands of school pupils in Lithuania to learn maths more efficiently, and the Elicėjus platform they are developing has already been recognised internationally. It has been recently selected for the Google.org-funded Grow AI Accelerator and received USD 140 000.
The idea to create a personalised learning platform came from personal experience rather than from market analysis, since both Mantas Vičius, the co-founder of the platform, and his classmates struggled with maths at school. “We didn’t know where to start – the gaps kept piling up, until eventually we didn’t know where exactly we were stuck,” he says. Having subsequently examined the national statistics, they realised that it was a systemic problem: 35% of graduates fail the maths exam and 40% fail the evaluation of basic education achievements.
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Originally published on 18 Apr
Read MoreLuleå University of Technology makes major investment in AI
Luleå University of Technology is taking a unified approach to AI development through a strategic action plan that encompasses the entire organisation. The aim is to integrate AI into its core mission while ensuring the technology is used ethically, legally, and intelligently.
“AI is here to stay and affects all of us, regardless of our role. This is one of the biggest technological changes we face – perhaps comparable to the introduction of personal computers. We need to understand it and use it in a responsible and smart way,” says Pär Weihed, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Luleå University of Technology.
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Originally published on 14 Apr
Read MoreFinland holds steady on attracting foreign investment
While foreign direct investment flows across Europe dropped in 2024, Finland held its line in attracting international companies. Sustainability took center stage, with investments driving cleaner solutions for energy, manufacturing and recycling. AI and imaging were in the mix too.
According to Invest in Finland’s monitoring service, foreign companies established or acquired 231 new entities in Finland during 2024 – a decrease of just 6% from the previous year. Over the same period, foreign-owned companies already operating in Finland made 130 follow-up investments.
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Originally published on 14 Apr
Read MoreTeachers explore new approaches and tools for using AI in teaching at the ”Idea Day” conference
On Friday, 14 March, the third “Idea Day” conference for teachers and education technology experts took place, bringing together more than 180 teachers and education experts from all over Latvia and offering them a wide-ranging program on the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in education. Teachers had the chance to improve their AI skills in 14 workshops and discussions on methods, solutions, and experiences.
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Originally published on 17 Mar
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