Jülich AI Factory Gearing Up for a European-Scale Revolution
- Expanded AI Manufacturing Facility in Jülich, Carrying a Pan-European Scope
Here's the scoop on the new AI hub rising in Jülich, a former coal mining region in Rhine. The state government in Düsseldorf has announced plans to launch an "Exascale Computer" named "Jupiter". This speed demon of a computer is slated to go live in the first half of 2025 and is expected to be one of the quickest in the world. The AI hub, dubbed Jaif (stands for "Jupiter Artificial Intelligence Factory"), aspires to become a central pillar of the European infrastructure in this realm.
Consider AI the new gold rush
The computing power of the supercomputer is equivalent to around a million smartphones per second. As the state government puts it, "It's like the turbine for the new resource of artificial intelligence."
Jaif is expected to kickstart later this year, with a $55 million euro funding boost from the Joint Undertaking for European High-Performance Computing, the Federal Ministry of Research, and the science ministries of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse. Heavy hitters such as Fraunhofer Institutes and the AI Center of RWTH Aachen are jumping on board for this project.
From digging coal to crunching numbers
Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) proclaimed, "North Rhine-Westphalia has just taken another giant leap on the path from coal to AI." Establishing an AI hub at the Jülich site marks a significant milestone on this journey.
Jülich's main objective is to foster a vibrant AI community, connecting research, development, and application across various businesses, big and small. A bakery chain that's cut food waste by optimizing production with AI support serves as an illustrative example.
Aiming for self-reliance
13 AI hubs are in the pipeline for Europe. The Jülich facility hopes to facilitate collaboration between locations and accelerate the growth of AI applications. The ultimate goal is to strengthen Europe's self-reliance from AI innovations in the United States.
The Forschungszentrum Jülich is a colossal scientific institution, specializing in energy, information, and bioeconomy, and employing nearly 7,500 people. It's part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres and receives 90% of its funding from the federal government, with the remaining 10% coming from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Jülich
- Artificial Intelligence
- Forschungszentrum Jülich
- Computer
- Düsseldorf
- Jupiter
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- Dimension
- The Forschungszentrum Jülich, a key institution in Düsseldorf, is preparing to house the Jupiter supercomputer, a significant addition to their work in artificial intelligence.
- To further the advancement of AI applications, the Jülich facility is aiming to collaborate with other proposed European AI hubs, with the objective of increasing Europe's self-reliance in AI innovation.
- In line with their mission to foster a strong AI community, the Jülich facility plans to offer vocational training programs focused on artificial intelligence to boost the regional workforce.
