Greece was selected to host Pharos by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, as the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Digital Governance, “Pharos – The Greek AI Factory for accelerating AI innovation,” was approved within the framework of the European AI Factories Initiative of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. In fact, Greece is one of the first seven AI Factories in the EU, along with Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Finland. Following that, a few more countries joined to implement their own national AI Factories: Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Poland and Slovenia.

The upcoming construction of a state-of-the-art supercomputer, DAEDALUS, optimized for artificial intelligence applications, in early 2026.

• The quality of the consortium involved in the project, consisting of of 5 institutions, namely GRNET S.A. – National Infrastructures for Research and Technology, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Digital Governance, the National Centre For Scientific Research Demokritos, the National Technical University of Athens, the Athena Research Center, Growthfund, and 6 more institutions acting as affiliated entities to the consortium, namely the Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas CERTH, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), the National Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), the Foundation for Research & Technology (FORTH), the University of Piraeus and the National Documentation Centre. 
• The steady support of the Greek State, and in particular the Ministry of Digital Governance, for the consortium that undertook the submission of the proposal, given its commitment to the goal of making Greece a pioneer in the digital age, making it an attractive hub for start-ups and investments. 

AI Factory Pharos aims to create a national Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem, promoting innovation and collaboration between academia, the private and public sectors. It focuses on the fields of Health, Greek Language and Culture, as well as Sustainable Development, contributing to the development of ethically responsible AI applications. In close collaboration with the academic community, businesses and public sector bodies, PHAROS will support the development of new business models and the commercial exploitation of innovative AI applications. Furthermore, it will contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of the Greek economy and addressing important social challenges. Furthermore, the Greek Artificial Intelligence factory aims to become a hub of research and knowledge for our wider geographical region, establishing Greece as a technological hub. 

The new national supercomputer DAEDALUS will serve as the computing platform for AI Factory Pharos, offering a total computing power of 89 Pflops, ensuring that a significant percentage of this is reserved for exclusive use by artificial intelligence applications through Pharos. It also features state-of-the-art storage technologies and will be connected via GRNET and RE-Cloud, with speeds of up to 400Gbps by 2026. Pharos capitalizes on DAEDALUS supercomputer to promote a sustainable and responsible national Artificial Intelligence strategy, offering access to high-performance computing resources for businesses and researchers.

The AI Factory Pharos is anticipated to have a broad impact on society, offering applications in areas such as medicine, meteorology, the development of intelligent transport systems, etc. Its connection to the innovation ecosystem, including startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), research institutions and public organizations, will enhance the development of innovative solutions through the utilization of computing resources and AI tools.

The first groups to benefit from this project will be those that are the first to utilize these technologies, leading to the creation of new jobs and contributing to the return of skilled personnel to Greece (brain regain). This project will strengthen the innovation ecosystem, offering opportunities for growth and innovation in various sectors.

The priority sectors in which Pharos will provide services and HPC resources in Greece are: Health, Culture and Language and Sustainability.

AI Factory Pharos is expected to significantly strengthen the technological autonomy of Greece and the European Union, reducing dependence on third countries. It is expected to promote the responsible use of AI, create new jobs and offer solutions in critical areas such as health, culture and the environment.

The project has a total budget of €30 million, of which 50% is funded by the EuroHPC JU Joint Undertaking and the remaining 50% is covered by national resources.

AI Factory Pharos was designed and will be implemented by a national consortium led by the National Infrastructures for Research and Technology (GRNET), operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Digital Governance, and partners including the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” (NCSR-D), the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), the Athena Research Center (Athena RC) and Growthfund, in direct cooperation with the Special Secretariat for Strategic Foresight of the Government.

In addition, the following bodies are participating: a) Center for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), b) Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), c) National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), d) Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH), e) University of Piraeus and f) National Documentation Centre.