At the AI Forum 2025, I joined Ioannis Emiris, Evangelos Bekiaris, and Tasos Gaitanis, PhD, on the panel “Defining the Greek AI Roadmap: Strategy, Opportunities, and Challenges,” moderated by Myron Flouris. We discussed three questions shaping Greece’s AI future: how to define a high-impact role for Greece in Europe and globally, how to move research from lab to market, and how to attract and retain top AI talent.

At NCSR Demokritos, these questions already guide our daily work. Since the 1970s, we have been developing AI technologies and building the infrastructure to sustain them. Today, more than 200 researchers at the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications combine scientific research with real-world application.

The PHAROS AI Factory, for which we provide the technical direction, together with the Daedalus supercomputer, help businesses test and deploy responsible AI solutions. These infrastructures will also anchor a wider ecosystem: four AI Factory Antennas in Cyprus, Malta, North Macedonia, and Serbia will soon connect to Pharos, creating a regional network that shares expertise and high-performance computing.

Our priorities are: Language and Culture, Health, and Energy–Environment—fields in which we believe AI can create direct social and economic value. Alongside, defense technologies are emerging as a national priority.