From Infrastructure to Ecosystem: EU AI Factories, SME Adoption and Technological Sovereignty — Observations from the LUMI AI Factory

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School of Business | Bachelor's thesis
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Date

2025

Department

Tieto- ja palvelujohtamisen laitos

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Mcode

Degree programme

Tieto- ja palvelujohtaminen

Language

en

Pages

24+11

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Abstract

Strengthening technological sovereignty constitutes a central policy objective of the European Union. The imperative to reduce dependencies on third countries is grounded in the transformed European security environment and mounting competitiveness challenges. This thesis examines how European Union’s AI Factories contribute to strengthen European technological sovereignty and enable SME-led AI innovation. AI Factories is a policy instrument introduced by the European Commission, and this thesis examines especially how they impact SME innovation in AI. The thesis employs a case study on the LUMI AI Factory in Finland. The thesis is framed by platform-ecosystem theory and mission-oriented innovation policy (MOIP). The thesis asks: What opportunities and challenges do European SMEs face when using AI Factories to pursue AI innovation? Methodologically, the thesis is done as a single-case systematic document analysis (2023–2025) of official EuroHPC and LUMI materials. The results are presented via a traffic-light synthesis. This thesis is a design-inference study based on public documentation (no interviews or confidential usage data are used). Findings show directionality and capacity are in place. SMEs can access dedicated free-of-charge tracks, support services, training, and premade datasets. However, the young ecosystem maturity still lags capacity. Public materials indicate proposal-heavy onboarding, limited visibility of formal feedback or co-governance mechanisms. Furthermore, no SME-disaggregated usage metrics were yet visible on AI Factory/LUMI public pages reviewed (as of Aug 2025). This implies entry frictions for SMEs. Interpreted through the frameworks of the study, LUMI is a strategically aligned public-private project. Still, there is a lot of work to do to translate access into broad SME uptake. The thesis develops a replicable evaluation framework for examining the structure of AI Factories, translating platform governance and MOIP principles into actionable indicators. The resulting policy and operational recommendations include dedicated SME onboarding pathways, cohort-based support clinics, improved interface resources, institutionalised feedback mechanisms, and quarterly reports summarising key performance indicators on usage.

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Movarrei, Reza

Keywords

AI Factories, LUMI, SMEs, technological sovereignty, platform governance, mission-oriented innovation policy, EuroHPC, European Union

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202510268582

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[kand] Kauppakorkeakoulu / BIZ