EuroHPC access as a crucial building block
A key challenge in finalising the model was ensuring the availability of sufficient GPU resources to run a sufficient number of training cycles. AI:AT provided support in this regard by facilitating professionally organised access to the infrastructure of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking, or EuroHPC for short. AustroBERT is thus a further practical example of how the European ‘AI Factories Initiative’ makes high-performance computing available for specific applications.
A strong signal for data and model sovereignty
Peter Hanke, Minister for Innovation and Infrastructure, emphasises:“With the AI Factory Austria, we have created the conditions to ensure that Austrian companies and research institutions, as well as media organisations, have access to and can utilise Europe’s leading infrastructure. The AustroBERT project is an outstanding example of this and demonstrates how quality journalism can benefit from artificial intelligence.”
Strategic importance for the APA
For the APA, the collaboration with AI Factory Austria is of strategic importance. As a national news agency, it possesses a comprehensive database of independent, fact-based reporting. With AustroBERT, this is being transformed into a legally compliant and ethically responsible AI model that is transparently based on verified media data. Building on the experience gained during training with AustroBERT, further developments towards small language models for journalistic use cases are planned. Larger model approaches are also being explored for the future.
“Against the backdrop of our Trusted Content and Trusted AI strategy, it was a logical step for the APA to create its own AI model using verified data. Being the first media company to collaborate with AI Factory Austria’s AI:AT gave us straightforward access to key technologies and computing power, enabling us to drive this technological development and AI training at the cutting edge,”
said APA CEO Clemens Pig.
Impact through access to infrastructure and expertise
Karl Kugler, co-lead of AI Factory Austria AI:AT, says:“AustroBERT demonstrates how AI:AT makes a tangible impact. We provide access to high-performance infrastructure, bring together expertise and support computationally intensive AI projects so that they can be developed and trained under reliable conditions.”
About the APA – Austria Press Agency
The APA – Austria Press Agency is Austria’s national news agency and leading information service provider. It is owned by Austrian daily newspapers and the ORF. The APA Group comprises the co-operatively organised news agency (APA-News) and several national and international subsidiaries; through the latter, it operates in the business areas of information and communication management (APA-Comm) and information technology (APA-Tech).
The APA is one of only around 20 news agencies worldwide that are independent of the state and government. The APA’s multimedia reporting serves the media as a reliable, independent, fast and fact-based source. In addition, the APA Group offers specialised solutions for communications specialists in politics and business through its media monitoring, media analysis and distribution services.
www.apa.at
About AI Factory Austria AI:AT
AI Factory Austria AI:AT is Austria’s national AI Factory within the framework of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. It is jointly managed by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and Advanced Computing Austria (ACA) and implemented by an Austria-wide consortium.
The partners in the consortium are: Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), University of Vienna, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), University of Innsbruck, Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU), the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), INiTS – Vienna’s High-Tech Incubator, and EODC – Earth Observation Data Centre for Water Resources Monitoring GmbH. AI:AT combines AI-optimised high-performance infrastructure with a physical hub and supports organisations from the private sector, public administration and applied research as a market-neutral, independent access point throughout the AI journey, from the initial use case to practical implementation.
www.ai-at.eu
Funding Acknowledgement
AI Factory Austria (AI:AT) is co-funded by the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No. 101253078. The Joint Undertaking is supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme and by Austria (BMIMI/FFG).