Pictured at the launch of AIF IRL-Antenna, from left: Cédric Auliac; Josephine Wood; JC Desplat; James Harkin; Minister James Lawless, TD; Arnaud Lambert; and John Lonsdale. Image: Kenneth O’Halloran.

Digital Technology Skills welcomes the official launch of Ireland’s AI Factory Antenna, AIF IRL-Antenna, a major national and European initiative designed to strengthen Ireland’s AI capability and connect Irish innovators to Europe’s advanced AI infrastructure.

The launch took place at Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin on 1 July 2026 and was officially opened by Minister James Lawless TD. It also marked one of the first events of Ireland’s EU Presidency, creating a timely connection between Ireland’s national AI ambition and Europe’s wider digital competitiveness agenda.

Led by ICHEC at University of Galway, with CeADAR as core partner, the AI Factory Antenna will act as Ireland’s national gateway to the European AI Factories network under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. The initiative is co-funded by Ireland’s Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, with total funding of €10 million.

Connecting Ireland to Europe’s AI Infrastructure

The AI Factory Antenna will help startups, SMEs, researchers and public sector organisations access the compute, expertise and skills required to build, test and scale AI solutions.

Through the programme, Irish organisations will be able to access AI-optimised high-performance computing, expert technical support, training, AI Sandboxes, secure data environments and wider European collaboration opportunities. The objective is to lower the barriers to AI adoption and support practical, responsible AI deployment across key sectors of the economy and society.

AIF IRL-Antenna will connect Ireland to AI Factory France, AI2F, and the Luxembourg AI Factory. This will support collaboration across infrastructure, talent development, data spaces, federated systems and policy development, while giving Irish organisations stronger access to Europe’s wider AI and high-performance computing ecosystem.

A National Consortium Supporting AI Adoption

The Irish consortium is led by ICHEC, hosted at University of Galway, with CeADAR as core partner. It also brings together enterprise accelerators including PorterShed, Dogpatch Labs, RDI Hub, Republic of Work and the Advanced Innovation in Manufacturing Centre.

Digital Technology Skills is involved as an Associated Partner and Digital Skills Partner, alongside Innovation Technology AtlanTec Gateway, supporting the skills dimension of the initiative.

The launch brought together representatives from Government, research, enterprise, AI infrastructure, skills and European partner organisations. Digital Technology Skills also acknowledges the work of James Harkin, Interim Director of AI Factory Antenna Ireland, and the wider ICHEC and CeADAR teams in delivering a successful launch and convening such a strong national and European network around the project.

Digital Skills as a Foundation for AI Impact

For Digital Technology Skills, the project reflects a core principle that sits across much of its work: AI infrastructure only delivers impact when organisations and workers have the capability to use it effectively.

Digital Skills Partner

“Digital Technology Skills is proud to contribute to AIF IRL-Antenna as a Digital Skills Partner. This initiative is an important step in connecting Ireland’s AI ambition with the infrastructure, expertise and talent development needed to make AI adoption practical, responsible and impactful. Our role is to support the skills dimension of that mission, helping ensure that organisations across Ireland can build the confidence and capability to engage with AI at a European level.”

Dave Feenan Director, Digital Technology Skills

As AI adoption accelerates, skills development will be essential to ensure that organisations can move beyond experimentation and into applied, responsible and value-driven implementation.

This includes not only technical skills, but also the ability to understand AI use cases, assess risk, engage with data responsibly, and build organisational confidence around AI-enabled transformation.

Supporting Ireland’s Role in Europe’s Digital Future

The timing of the launch, at the beginning of Ireland’s EU Presidency, is particularly relevant for Digital Technology Skills.

Digital Technology Skills works extensively across EU-funded projects, collaborating with partners across the EU 27 to support digital skills development, workforce transformation and innovation capacity. The AI Factory Antenna aligns strongly with that European mission by linking national capability to shared European infrastructure and expertise.

As Ireland takes on a visible leadership role during its EU Presidency, initiatives such as AIF IRL-Antenna demonstrate how national ecosystems can contribute to Europe’s wider goals in AI, competitiveness, digital sovereignty and trusted innovation.

Digital Technology Skills looks forward to supporting the next phase of the project and working with partners across Ireland and Europe to help translate AI infrastructure into meaningful skills, adoption and impact.

Further information is available through the official AI Factory Antenna Ireland website.