Urgent Action for AI & HPC Readiness: University of Iceland, Borealis & CSC
Urgent Action for AI & HPC Readiness brings together leaders in infrastructure, academia, and policy to explore how the Nordics can accelerate their role in the global AI and high-performance computing (HPC) landscape. Through keynotes and panel discussions, the event will examine Europe’s strategic investments in AI, the infrastructure and talent needed to support this transformation, and how education systems must adapt to prepare a future-ready workforce. With a focus on collaboration, sustainability, and digital sovereignty, this gathering aims to spark actionable pathways for regional leadership in the AI era. The event will also inform the audience and discuss with experts the relevance of the European Commission and EuroHPC AI Continent activities with a focus on the emerging AI Factories and AI GigaFactories, and the AI Diffusion Framework.
Through keynotes and panel discussions, the event will examine Europe’s strategic investments in AI, the infrastructure and talent needed to support this transformation, and how education systems must adapt to prepare a future-ready workforce. With a focus on collaboration, sustainability, and digital sovereignty, this gathering aims to spark actionable pathways for regional leadership in the AI era. The event will also inform the audience and discuss with experts the relevance of the European Commission and EuroHPC AI Continent activities with a focus on the emerging AI Factories and AI GigaFactories, and the AI Diffusion Framework.
13:00 – 13:30
Registration & Arrival
13:30 – 13:40
Welcome Remarks
Björn Brynjúlfsson, Borealis Data Center and Morris Riedel, University of Iceland
13:40 – 14:00
Opening Keynote
William Barney, Modularity & Asian Century Equity, DataCentre Magazine´s Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
14:00 – 15:15
Panel 1: “The €20B momentum: how the Nordics can lead in infrastructure, efficiency, and talent in the age of AI”
As Europe accelerates its investment in AI infrastructure — with €20 billion in public and private funding on the horizon — the Nordics are uniquely positioned to lead. This panel brings together experts in data centers, AI/HPC, and education to discuss how the region can leverage its strengths: world-class energy efficiency, a stable regulatory environment, and a highly educated workforce. Speakers will explore how to translate infrastructure advantage into long-term competitiveness and ensure alignment with European ambitions around digital sovereignty and sustainability. Together, they will unpack what it will take for the Nordics to not only keep pace — but set the pace — in the AI era. The discussion will also touch on key points related to the AI Diffusion Framework and its impact.
Reference: Shaping Europe’s leadership in artificial intelligence with the AI continent action plan
Moderator: TBC
Panelists:
Morris Riedel, University of Iceland - Establishing an EuroHPC AI Factory Antenna for Iceland
Kimmo Koski, CSC - EuroHPC LUMI AI Factory & Public/Private Partnerships
Gísli Ragnar Guðmundsson, AI Lead, KPMG Ísland
Sigríður Mogensen, Director IP & Industries, Samtök Iðnaðarins (Icelandic Federation of Industries)
15:15 – 15:30
Coffee Break
15:30 – 15:50
Keynote - Iceland’s Vision for an AI-Ready Society
Lilja Dögg Jónsdóttir, CEO, Almannarómur (The Icelandic Center for Language Technology)
15:50 – 17:00
Panel 2: “Educating for the AI Data Center Era”
The rise of AI and high-performance computing is transforming the role of data centers — and reshaping the skills landscape needed to support them. This panel explores how educational institutions and industry can work together to build the next generation of talent for AI infrastructure. With contributions from industry experts and academic institutions in Iceland and Finland, the discussion will highlight emerging workforce needs, evolving curricula, and the importance of practical, cross-disciplinary training in everything from hardware and cooling systems to machine learning and compliance. As Iceland and the Nordics position themselves as key players in the AI ecosystem, this panel will ask: Are we preparing students for the data center of today — or the data center of tomorrow?
Moderator: Morris Riedel, Professor of Iceland for HPC & AI, University of Iceland
Panelists:
Björn Brynjúlfsson, Cofounder & CEO, Borealis Data Center
Jani Sourander, Lecturer, KAMK – Kajaani University of Applied Sciences
Henning Arnór Úlfarsson, Dean of Computer Science, Reykjavík University
Sigrún Ósk Jakobsdóttir, Chief Human Resources Officer, Advania Iceland
17:00 - 18:30
Networking cocktail hour with light refreshments