Campus Groningen will play an important role in the Dutch AI factory. The AI supercomputer that forms part of this new national infrastructure will be located at Eurofiber’s data centre campus at Zernike Campus. In addition, an AI expertise centre will be established in the former Niemeyer factory, bringing together knowledge, talent and AI applications.
The announcement of the location on 21 September 2026 marks another step in the development of the Dutch AI factory. In addition to the AI supercomputer, the facility includes an expertise centre in the former Niemeyer factory, where knowledge, expertise and AI applications come together. The combination of knowledge, talent, entrepreneurship and advanced digital infrastructure further strengthens Groningen’s position as a hub for innovation.
During her visit to Groningen, State Secretary for Digital Economy and Sovereignty Willemijn Aerdts also highlighted the importance of the new infrastructure. In her LinkedIn post, she emphasises access to knowledge, computing power and space as essential for developing and scaling AI applications in the Netherlands.
Read more details in the article below by Richold Brandsma, originally published in Dagblad van het Noorden.
The supercomputer of the AI factory in Groningen will be located at Zernike Campus, near Eurofiber’s data centre. ICT cooperative SURF announced this on Monday afternoon during a visit to Groningen by State Secretary Willemijn Aerdts (Economic Affairs). The computer is expected to be operational by early 2028.
To provide a counterweight to China and the US in particular, Europe is building its own AI factories. In addition to the Netherlands, these are being established in countries including Germany, France, Finland, Greece and Poland. An AI factory is already operational in Luxembourg. The factories are intended to increase Europe’s independence from major technology companies while strengthening its competitive position.
Businesses, governments, researchers and educational institutions in the Netherlands will be able to use the enormous computing power provided by the supercomputer at Zernike Campus. They will have the opportunity to develop and apply AI models.
The hope and expectation is that the Groningen supercomputer will contribute to economic growth.
According to SURF, the computer at Zernike Campus has already been incorporated into the electricity grid. The large amount of energy required by the computer is therefore not expected to lead to additional grid congestion. Its residual heat will be reused by municipal heating company WarmteStad, which currently supplies heat to more than 9,000 households.
In addition to the computer at Zernike Campus, the AI factory includes an expertise centre located in the former Niemeyer factory in Groningen. The expertise centre is already supporting projects that make use of computing capacity at European AI factories.
The AI factory is funded by the European Union, the Dutch government and the northern Netherlands region through the Nij Begun programme.
During his farewell symposium on 29 October, Harro Meijer, Professor of Isotope Physics at the University of Groningen, was surprised with a Royal Honour. Meijer (Eindhoven, 1959), celebrating his 67th birthday that day, heads the Centre for Isotope Research (CIO) at the Faculty of Science & Engineering. He received the insignia associated with the rank of Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion from Mayor R.J. Kamminga of the municipality of Groningen.
De Rijksuniversiteit Groningen heeft het ontwerp voor het nieuwe Interfaculty Learning Center op Zernike Campus afgerond. Het gebouw combineert moderne onderwijsruimtes, gespecialiseerde labs en inspirerende studieplekken.
Fermentatieprocessen, van voedselproductie tot andere toepassingen, roepen vragen op die betrouwbare data en testen vereisen. Het bedrijf SG Papertronics, gevestigd op Campus Groningen, ontwikkelt platformtechnologie voor biochemische en analytische testen, met fermentatie als specialisme.
