Europe awards €387.8 million contract for LUMI-AI supercomputer

Summary

• Major AI investment: EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and the LUMI AI Factory consortium have awarded Bull a €387.8 million contract to build the LUMI-AI supercomputer in Kajaani, Finland.
• Capacity expansion: The new system is expected to provide a tenfold increase in AI computing capacity and nearly double the high-performance computing capability of the current LUMI system.
• AMD-powered infrastructure: LUMI-AI will use AMD Instinct MI430X GPUs and 6th Gen AMD EPYC processors, with deployment planned for the second half of 2027.

BRUSSELS, August 31, 2026 — Europe is expanding its artificial intelligence computing infrastructure after the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and the LUMI AI Factory consortium awarded Bull a €387.8 million contract to build the LUMI-AI supercomputer in Kajaani, Finland.

The new system will be hosted at CSC – IT Center for Science’s data centre in Kajaani, alongside the existing LUMI supercomputer. Deployment is scheduled for the second half of 2027.

LUMI-AI will serve as the computing infrastructure for the LUMI AI Factory, supporting artificial intelligence development, scientific research and industrial applications across Europe.

The project is funded jointly by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and the LUMI AI Factory consortium. The consortium includes Finland, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Poland.

Major expansion in AI computing capacity

LUMI-AI is expected to provide a tenfold increase in AI computing capacity compared with the current LUMI system. Its high-performance computing capability is also expected to be nearly twice that of the existing machine.

The new infrastructure is intended to support demanding AI workloads, including the development and training of advanced AI models, as well as large-scale scientific simulations and data-intensive research.

The expansion reflects Europe’s broader effort to strengthen access to advanced computing infrastructure for startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, researchers and public institutions.

AMD technology to power the new system

The LUMI-AI supercomputer will use AMD Instinct MI430X GPUs alongside 6th Gen AMD EPYC processors with up to 256 cores.

The AMD-based architecture will provide the processing power needed for AI and high-performance computing workloads while building on the technology used within Europe’s wider supercomputing ecosystem.

Bull will be responsible for delivering and integrating the new system under the €387.8 million procurement contract.

Focus on energy efficiency

Energy efficiency is also a central part of the LUMI-AI project.

The system is expected to use renewable electricity and advanced liquid-cooling technology. Excess heat generated by the supercomputer is planned to be recovered and reused through Kajaani’s district heating network.

The project is designed to combine a significant increase in computing capacity with measures aimed at reducing the environmental impact of large-scale data processing.

LUMI-AI is also expected to connect with Europe’s developing high-performance and quantum computing infrastructure, including the LUMI-IQ quantum computing platform.

Part of Europe’s AI Factories programme

The LUMI-AI procurement forms part of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking’s wider AI Factories initiative.

The programme is intended to expand European access to advanced AI computing infrastructure and provide shared resources for businesses, startups and researchers that may not have the financial capacity to build and operate large-scale computing systems independently.

The investment comes as governments and companies increase spending on AI infrastructure to support increasingly complex models and data-intensive applications.

By pooling resources across participating countries and European institutions, the LUMI AI Factory consortium aims to provide access to advanced computing capacity across the region.

Why this matters

• Expanded AI capacity: LUMI-AI will significantly increase the computing resources available for AI development and research in Europe.
• Support for innovation: Startups, SMEs and researchers are expected to gain access to advanced computing infrastructure.
• Cross-border investment: Finland, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Poland are jointly supporting the project alongside EuroHPC.
• Advanced hardware: The system will use AMD Instinct MI430X GPUs and 6th Gen AMD EPYC processors.
• Energy efficiency: Renewable electricity, liquid cooling and heat reuse form part of the project’s infrastructure strategy.

FAQs:

Q1: What is LUMI-AI?

LUMI-AI is a next-generation, AI-optimised supercomputer that will support the LUMI AI Factory in Kajaani, Finland.

Q2: How much does the LUMI-AI project cost?

The contract awarded for the system is valued at €387.8 million.

Q3: Who is funding LUMI-AI?

The project is jointly funded by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and the LUMI AI Factory consortium, which includes Finland, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Poland.

Q4: What technology will LUMI-AI use?

The supercomputer will use AMD Instinct MI430X GPUs and 6th Gen AMD EPYC processors with up to 256 cores.

Q5: When will LUMI-AI be deployed?

Deployment is planned for the second half of 2027.