The initiative is based on agreements with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Munster Technological University, LuxProvide and ICHEC, Ireland’s national high performance computing centre.

The Kerry-based innovation nonprofit RDI Hub will aim to help Irish firms and public bodies move faster from AI experimentation to deployment through a new partnership initiative with organisations in Ireland and Luxembourg.

The ‘AI Gateway’ collaboration is based on agreements with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Munster Technological University (MTU), LuxProvide and ICHEC, Ireland’s national high-performance computing centre.

The bodies will facilitate the building, testing and securing of AI systems and create a cross-border pathway linking Irish demand with Luxembourg’s ‘AI Factory’, sandbox and sovereign infrastructure capabilities, as well as providing opportunities for Irish research and cybersecurity expertise to contribute into that wider European ecosystem, RDI Hub said.

Ireland’s European commissioner Michael McGrath said the gateway would assist in “breaking down barriers, ending fragmentation and giving Irish companies access to cutting-edge AI to scale, grow and succeed as European companies with global reach”, and would aid “founders, scaling companies and established corporates”.

The gateway, claimed to be the first of its kind in Ireland, will offer Irish organisations computing power and infrastructure to build AI, sandbox access to test systems for trustworthiness and regulatory readiness, and cyber resilience capability to test and secure AI-enabled products before launch, to help them deploy AI systems while staying compliant with national and European laws.

Fergal Brosnan, the CEO of RDI Hub, said: “Most AI sandboxes do one thing. The RDI AI Gateway does three. We’ve brought together access to infrastructure to build AI, a sandbox to test and validate it, and cyber resilience capability to test resilience and secure it before deployment.

“That combination is what organisations have been asking for, and it can help turn AI pilots into systems that are ready for real-world use.”

RDI Hub, based in Killorglin, Co Kerry, offers supports to start-ups, SMEs, corporates, public bodies and research-led innovation in sectors such as fintech, sustainability, travel and tourism, and emerging technology, with AI seen as a “core crosscutting capability”.

Dr Hazel Murray, chair of cybersecurity at MTU, said: “This collaboration combines MTU’s research and cybersecurity infrastructure with RDI Hub’s industry network and delivery model.

“Together, we can help turn specialist technical capability into practical support for trusted AI and cyber resilience, while also strengthening links between Ireland and Luxembourg.”

RDI Hub said the gateway is aimed at “large corporates, SMEs, pillar banks and regulated financial institutions; fintech firms; AI start-ups and scale-ups; government departments; public bodies; local authorities; research-led innovation projects; and organisations exploring sovereign cloud, EU AI Act readiness or access to European compute”.

Daniele Pagani of LIST said: “This collaboration with the RDI gives Irish organisations a trusted route into LIST’s AI sandbox at exactly the moment they need it, as Europe moves from preparing for the EU AI Act to applying it.

“It is a practical model for cross-border cooperation, and a real strengthening of the innovation link between Luxembourg and Ireland.”

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