👨‍🏫 Microsoft to train a quarter million Swedes in AI

The largest investment from Microsoft in Sweden to date. Among other things, 20,000 GPUs will be installed in the company's data centers and 250,000 Swedes will be trained in AI.

Mathias Sundin 03.Jun.2024 2 min read

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Together with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Microsoft's vice president Brad Smith announced a major AI initiative in Sweden.

Microsoft is investing 3.2 billion US dollars in Sweden over the next two years. This is the company's largest investment in Sweden to date.

The funds will be used, among other things, to add 20,000 GPUs to existing data centers in Sandviken, Gävle, and Staffanstorp.

A GPU is a specialized computer processor that handles and accelerates graphical computations to make images and animations faster and more efficient. They are important for AI because they can process many parallel calculations simultaneously, allowing for the quick training and running of complex neural networks and other machine learning models.

Training initiative

The investment will also go towards providing AI training for 250,000 Swedes. It will target organizations, schools, universities, the public sector, and society at large. The skill enhancement will be achieved through technical education and vocational training for students in the form of developing AI skills, tailored training for reskilling in industry-specific professions, and expert AI training for developers.

To guide the competency programs, Microsoft will establish an AI insights council that brings together leaders from academia, business, and the public sector. The competency program will be conducted in close collaboration with partners and representatives from, among others, the Swedish Public Employment Service, Linköping University, TechSverige, and partners within the Swedish Microsoft Responsible AI Innovation Center.

Also other countries have received or will see similar initiatives.

Welcome news!

Sweden needs to increase the use of AI. So this is welcome news, making the Swedish AI commission's work a bit easier. 250,000 people is not enough, but it is a good contribution and a positive injection.

My feeling right now is that we, Swedes, are gearing up for a leap forward. We were late at the start, but we are now beginning to come together as a nation to take a quick leap forward.