Latvia’s EDIH 2.0 for AI & HPC Process Excellence

forthcoming

NEXTDIH-LV will consolidate Latvia's specialised European Digital Innovation Hub and act as the national front office for trustworthy artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and cyber-secure digital process excellence. Its mission is to help at least 250 Latvian SMEs, mid-caps and public bodies test, adopt and scale data-driven solutions that are energy-efficient, human-centric and fully aligned with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. The hub delivers all four mandatory service pillars of the Digital Europe Programme. Clients begin with a digital-maturity and AI-readiness self-assessment that routes them to the right mix of services: AI sandboxes and demonstrators at the AI Studio; guided access to Riga Technical University’s EuroHPC-connected cluster; tiered up-skilling programmes co-designed with Riga TechGirls; and investment-readiness mentoring that links promising pilots to Horizon Europe, Digital Europe or private finance. A built-in ethics quick-check embeds transparency and risk classification into every AI engagement, while a first-line help-desk replies to compliance questions within three working days. Regional desks in Kurzeme and Vidzeme stage roadshows and skills workshops so that firms in all five Latvian planning regions benefit equally. When local capabilities are exceeded, liaison officers arrange seamless referrals to European infrastructures such as AI Factories, Testing and Experimentation Facilities or EuroHPC open calls, feeding lessons learnt back into the national ecosystem. By 2029 the project will raise the share of Latvian enterprises using EU-developed AI, mobilise at least EUR 6 million in follow-on investment and establish a fee-based service model that secures the hub’s long-term sustainability, thus directly advancing the Digital Decade Policy Programme and the twin green-digital transition