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The AI Startup Mysteries of Denmark's New Supercomputer
Will AI startups realise their full potential through one of the world's most powerful computers?
Peter Juel Jensen
November 08, 2024
Pioneer AI: Checking the Nordic AI Pulse
Welcome to Pioneer AI’s newsletter, The Nordic AI Pulse. We are a Nordics-focused AI investment fund.
We track, share, and analyse information and insights on Nordic-related AI news, deals, and trends.
📚 In This Issue:
The AI Startup Mysteries of Denmark's New Supercomputer
Nordic AI News
Nordic AI Funding News
Podcast Insights
Upcoming: Nordic AI Events You Shouldn't Miss
The AI Startup Mysteries of Denmark's New Supercomputer
What happened: Denmark recently celebrated the launch of its state-of-the-art supercomputer, Gefion, at a high-profile event attended by the Danish King and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. Built to advance Denmark’s computing power, this new supercomputer is set to boost the nation’s capabilities in research and complex data processing, aligning with global efforts to strengthen AI and high-performance computing.
Press release and Danish media reports on the launch.
Why it matters: The supercomputer unquestionably positions Denmark to make strides in scientific research. It also signals new opportunities for select Danish companies.
While it is laudable that the AI healthcare startup Teton will get early access, questions remain about how the supercomputer could and should be used to support the ecosystem of Danish AI startups.
We lack detailed information on how that advanced computer can - or will - be leveraged for startup innovation. For example, will there be special payment models or rebates for startups wishing to access expensive computing time? If not, then it is something that we at Pioneer AI would like to put on our Christmas wishlist for the Danish AI ecosystem.
What do you think? Any comments or thoughts? Let us know via email or contact us on the Pioneer AI LinkedIn page here.
❄️Nordic News Roundup❄️
A new study reveals how AI can ensure fair, objective student grading. [DK] (TV2 Nord)
Five out of ten young people believe that AI can make them lazy. [NO] (NRK)
Many organisations will use AI agents to write most of their software within the next three years. [SE] (Computer Sweden)
Why the next generation of AI is a perfect fit for public organisations and services. [NO] (Digi)
AI agents may be your saviour when it comes to Christmas shopping. [DK] (TV2)
AI-generated voices used to swindle the elderly are a growing problem in Sweden. [SE] (Omni)
This fifteen-year-old Norwegian has launched his own IT company offering AI agents. [NO] (BA)
AI is going to surveil and track insects in a Danish national park. [DK] (TV MidtVest)
Statistics show that 25% of Swedish adults have used AI tools within the last three months. [SE] (Statistikmuyndigheten)
In future, Norwegian media VG's news articles will be read aloud by an “AI clone” of journalist Julie Tran. [NO] (VG)
🚀AI Funding News🚀
Select Nordic AI-related deals, investments, acquisitions and insights.
Congratulations to all of the founders and teams!
Pioneer AI’s top Nordic AI funding insights and highlights:
1: Farm + Robot + AI = Winning
FarmDroid has secured €10.5 million in funding to scale up its autonomous, solar-powered agricultural robot, which aims to reduce manual labor and cut pesticide use in farming. The investment is part of a growing wave of support for Danish AgTech, underscoring Denmark’s push towards sustainable and efficient farming solutions. For FarmDroid, AI and machine learning will be crucial for powering its robot’s autonomous capabilities and optimising performance in the field, from sowing and weeding to precise pesticide spraying.
2: AI Infrastructure Deal Sign of the Future?
Helsinki-based DataCrunch recently secured $13 million in seed funding. This investment positions DataCrunch as a leader in providing dedicated AI infrastructure, targeting Europe’s growing demand for scalable, cost-effective AI computing solutions. As industries increasingly integrate AI, the demand for dedicated AI infrastructure is expected to soar, making spaces like data security and compliance critical areas to watch. DataCrunch’s renewable energy-powered data centres in Finland and Iceland, paired with their rollout of advanced NVIDIA H200 servers, offer a sustainable, high-performance solution tailored for AI workloads. This strategic positioning highlights a promising opportunity for Scandinavian providers to lead in secure, compliant AI infrastructure, particularly as the need for local, regulation-compliant solutions grows.
🎧Listen To🎧
Nordic AI news and analysis for your ears.
EDB 5.0 [DK]- Episode that examines how AI + EEG could revolutionize epilepsy diagnosis by using AI to pick up on noise in brain signals and identify signs of epilepsy in the data.
Digitaliseringspådden [NO] - Anne-Kat. Hærland joins hosts Jens Christian Bang and Dag Rustad to discuss AI myths, the real changes artificial intelligence is leading to - and how companies and individuals avoid being caught flat-footed.
AI Sweden Podcast [SE] - Robin Tuorda, co-founder of RekAI, reveals how the company is helping over 30% of Sweden's municipalities optimize their websites with the help of AI, including through personalization of content.
📅Training, Meetups & Conferences📅
Conferences
November 13: AI Day 2024: The latest AI knowledge from 35 Danish and international experts and inspiration for your company on implementing AI tools. [Aarhus, Denmark]
November 13: AI in municipalities and civil society: AI lessons learned from public organisation and focus on what challenges and solutions look like going forward. [Stockholm, Sweden]
December 10-12: First International Conference in AI Music Studies: Explores the prospects, challenges and new methodologies required to study AI music. [Stockholm, Sweden]
2025
January 7-9: Northern Lights Deep Learning 2025: Gathers researchers both on a national and international level to exchange ideas, encourage collaborations and present cutting-edge deep learning research. [Tromsø, Norway]
February 3-7: AI Week 2025: Massive conference with broad line-up and programme exploring AI’s impact and potential across industries, functions, and society. [Oslo, Norway]
March 12: AI Marketing Conference: A conference filled with concrete strategies and implementable tips from leading experts in AI-driven marketing. [Copenhagen, Denmark]
March 17-20: IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence: Research conference focused on sharing research concepts and results and fostering an environment for future collaborations. [Tromsø, Norway]
March 19-20: OffDig 2025: A conference focused on digitisation, including the use of AI, in public organisations. [Aarhus, Denmark]
April 3: Applied AI Nordics 2025: Explore real-world case studies, results and learnings from the business implementation of AI across industries. [Copenhagen, Denmark]
May 7-8: Data Innovation Summit: Large conference for exploring ways to accelerate AI-driven transformation throughout companies, industries and public organisations. [Stockholm, Sweden]
May 12-14: AI and Machine Learning for Healthcare: Research conference exploring advances in deep learning and neural networks for the development of intelligent healthcare systems. [Copenhagen, Denmark]
May 13-15: International Congress on Industrial AI and eMaintenance: Congress focused on industrial artificial intelligence, or IAI. [Luleå, Sweden]
May 15-16: International Conference on AI and Soft Computing: Scientists, researchers, and research scholars come together to exchange and share experiences and research results regarding AI and soft computing. [Copenhagen, Denmark]
May 22: AI Compute Summit: Examines the future of AI computing, addressing the challenges of building scalable, sustainable systems. [Copenhagen, Denmark]
Meetups
Do you know of an event, meetup, or similar event that you think should be on the list? Let us know!
Got an AI story or insight from the Nordics? Share it with us!
Reply to this email or connect on LinkedIn.
Until next time,
Pioneer Venture AI,