The Cyprus Institute Coordinates the Cyprus AI Factory Antenna: Pharos-CY Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Greek Language Featured
The Cyprus Institute has achieved a notable success in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), marking a development of paramount importance for Cyprus. The Pharos-CY project, coordinated by the Cyprus Institute, has been selected for funding by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (JU) under the call for AI Factory Antennas (HORIZON-EUROHPC-JU-2025-AIFA-01). The project will be funded by the EuroHPC JU and by the Cyprus Government, through the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy.
The Pharos-CY project positions Cyprus at the heart of the pan-European effort to develop and promote advanced AI services, contributing decisively to achieving the EU's strategic goals for digital and technological leadership.
The project is coordinated by the Cyprus Institute’s Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center (CaSToRC), a leading research centre in computational science and artificial intelligence. It is supported by a broad, multi-thematic consortium of Cypriot partners, which includes:
- All of Cyprus Centres of Excellence:
- biobank.cy (biomedical and genomic research),
- CARE-C (climate change and atmospheric research),
- CMMI (maritime and marine innovation),
- CYENS (smart cities, art, and society),
- Eratosthenes (geoinformatics and satellite data),
- KIOS (smart networks and systems),
- Phaethon (solar energy and storage).
- The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics,
- The Cyprus Research and Academic Network,
- The University of Cyprus,
- The Cyprus University of Technology.
The participation of these partners ensures the project's interconnection with critical sectors of Cypriot society and economy: Health, Environment, Culture, Language, Energy, Transport, Agriculture, Shipping, and Digital Governance.
Strategic Collaboration with Greece: A Unified Greek-Language AI Ecosystem
The Pharos-CY proposal is implemented in direct collaboration with the Greek AI Factory “Pharos”, hosted at the National Infrastructures for Research and Technology (GRNET), which utilizes the "DAEDALUS" supercomputing infrastructure. Through the shared vision of both countries to promote artificial intelligence in the Greek language as well as to the wider South-Eastern Europe region, the two sides will jointly develop:
- Large Language Models (LLMs) and digital tools for the Greek language,
- Shared databases and interoperable AI applications,
- Educational programmes aimed at creating a unified Greek-language AI ecosystem.
Benefits for Cypriot Society, Economy, and Innovation
The Pharos-CY project creates new opportunities for:
- SMEs and start-ups seeking to integrate AI into their products and services,
- Researchers, students, and engineers, who will gain access to advanced infrastructure and specialised data,
- Public organisations and bodies interested in developing smart services in the fields of Health, Language, Sustainability, and Cultural Heritage.