Helsinki Gets Its First LUMI AI Factory Hub as European AI Network Continues to Expand
The Kumpula Campus hub provides AI research expertise, high-performance computing support, and a collaborative community space — all free of charge for academics and start-ups.
Text by Martti Asikainen, 5.3.2026 | Photo by Unigrafia
A new artificial intelligence hub has opened its doors at the University of Helsinki’s Kumpula Campus, marking Helsinki’s first entry into a growing pan-European network designed to democratise access to world-class AI and high-performance computing resources.
The Kumpula AI Factory Hub, which secured its premises in December 2025 in the campus’s Exactum building, forms part of the LUMI AI Factory, one of the European Union’s first AI Factories.
The initiative brings together cutting-edge computing power, high-quality data, and specialist expertise, with services offered free of charge to startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, and academic researchers.
– The Kumpula Hub provides researchers and students with professional AI expert support for their projects, enabling novel AI-based projects to be pursued with cutting-edge AI and high-performance computing support, says Professor Keijo Heljanko from the University of Helsinki’s Department of Computer Science.
Expert Support at the Heart of the Campus
Central to the hub’s offer is a team of AI Research Software Engineers who assist both researchers and students with artificial intelligence challenges, from methodology and model selection to optimisation and performance tuning. The hub’s academic focus is concentrated on two priority areas: health and AI for science.
The hub occupies two shared offices on the third floor of Exactum’s A corridor, which house the resident Research Software Engineers and offer co-working spaces for visiting researchers. Lecture theatres and group working areas across the Exactum and Physicum buildings can also be booked for larger events.
The hub wasted no time in launching student-facing activities. The first LUMI AI Factory Open Data Hackathon was held on the Kumpula campus already in January 2026, with further events already in the pipeline. Details will be announced via LUMI AI Factory’s official communication channels.
A Growing Network Across Europe
The Kumpula hub is the second to open in the LUMI AI Factory network overall, following the launch of the flagship Otaniemi hub at Aalto University’s campus in Espoo in December 2025, and the first to be based in Helsinki. That hub occupies approximately 121 square metres in the Maarintie 8 building, offering individual work desks, meeting rooms, and an open event space.
A third hub is set to open in spring 2026 at IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Centre, housed within VSB – Technical University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic. The Ostrava hub will serve the broader Moravian-Silesian region and boasts multiple dedicated spaces, including a training room, a 50-person atrium, and access to quantum computing resources.
According to the press release, Eeva Harjula, Project Manager for the LUMI AI Factory hubs at CSC – IT Center for Science, welcomes the rapid expansion of the AI Factory.
– The expansion of the hub network enables stronger collaboration and shared expertise across locations. By sharing content and knowledge virtually, each hub can offer even greater value to visitors and users across the entire LUMI AI Factory ecosystem, she said.
A Pan-European Consortium
The LUMI AI Factory is coordinated by CSC and is hosted by a consortium comprising Finland, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Norway, and Poland.
Finnish partners include Aalto University, AI Finland, and the University of Helsinki. Belgium, Iceland, Latvia, and Switzerland participate as AI Factory Antennas, extending the network’s reach across the continent.
A virtual hub is also planned for early 2026, intended to connect the community online and allow participants to collaborate, attend events, and access expertise regardless of their physical location.
You can learn more about LUMI AI Factory and its hubs on the LUMI AI Factory website.
