The Centre for Informatics and Computing (CIR) of the Ruđer Bošković Institute participated in the organization of the Economic AI and HPC Forum, held as part of the 49th MIPRO Convention. The forum's main objective was to strengthen cooperation within the European EuroHPC ecosystem and accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) in industry.

The forum brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives of European competence centers, AI Factories (AI Factory), AI Antennas, research institutions, data centers, and industry partners.

Supporting Industry and the New EuroHPC Vision

A special focus of the event was placed on creating effective support mechanisms for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, and industry in leveraging advanced digital infrastructure to develop new products, services, and innovative business models.

Participants had the opportunity to hear a presentation by Anders Dam Jensen, Executive Director of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), who presented the strategic vision for the development of this initiative. During his presentation, he emphasized that through the construction of world-class supercomputing infrastructure, the development of AI Factories, future AI Gigafactories, and investments in quantum technologies, EuroHPC is laying the foundation for a new generation of digital services and industrial innovations that directly enhance Europe's economic competitiveness.

From Artificial to "Anorganic" Intelligence

The technical part of the program showcased concrete examples of using supercomputers to train large AI models, perform complex simulations, and develop data-driven solutions in healthcare, energy, transportation, and public services. Today, a federated, energy-efficient, and interoperable infrastructure enables European companies to access computing resources that until recently were available only to the world's largest technology corporations.

The forum also served as a platform for presenting new theoretical approaches. Particular attention was attracted by the concept of Anorganic Intelligence as a potential next stage in the evolution of intelligent systems that goes beyond traditional large language models (LLMs). This concept views intelligence as an emergent property of self-organizing information systems evolving toward cognitive collaborative systems. It is described in greater detail in the scientific paper, "From Artificial to Anorganic Intelligence", available on the ResearchGate platform.

Regional Strengthening and the Pantheon Data Center Project

As part of the forum, the activities of AI Factories and AI Antennas from several European countries—Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Germany, and North Macedonia—were presented, further strengthening international knowledge exchange in the fields of artificial intelligence and the operation of newly established AI Factories and AI Antennas.

The Pantheon Data Center project was also presented—a strategic initiative aimed at establishing an advanced data and AI infrastructure hub in Croatia. Such a center would significantly contribute to strengthening national capacities for processing large volumes of data and providing HPC services to industry and the research community.

CIR's Role in Building Technological Sovereignty

Through the organization of this forum, the CIR of the Ruđer Bošković Institute, as a partner in the EuroCC3 project, launched an initiative to create a broader European collaborative network connecting science, industry, the public sector, and digital innovation hubs.

The ultimate goal is to establish long-term synergy among stakeholders in high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. Through these efforts, CIR and the Ruđer Bošković Institute actively contribute to the development of a competitive, innovative, and technologically sovereign European economy.