Telia, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Brookfield have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a strategic partnership for the joint development of sovereign AI services and applications in Sweden.
The partnership is based on Telia’s and Brookfield’s previously announced AI collaboration and leverages KTH’s position at the center of Sweden’s renowned innovation ecosystem. It supports Sweden’s and Europe’s ambitions for long-term technology leadership, while expanding the partners’ possibilities to contribute to broader AI initiatives and industry collaborations.
The partnership aims to build scalable sovereign AI capabilities, including services based on large language models and pioneering KTH software. It is intended to address the rapidly evolving technology needs of Swedish businesses and organizations in sectors such as healthcare, education, manufacturing and critical infrastructure.
In addition, the partners will explore the development of an AI test bed and activities to create AI ventures, hosted by KTH. These initiatives could provide researchers with greater access to the latest AI technologies, help entrepreneurs and companies bring innovations to market faster, and serve as a platform for attracting further talent, investment and research to Sweden.
In March, Telia and Brookfield announced Sweden’s largest sovereign AI initiative, built on Brookfield’s stated plans to invest up to SEK 95 billion (approximately $10 billion) in Swedish AI infrastructure. Telia’s system integrator, Telia Cygate, is set to operate and deliver sovereign AI services on top of this infrastructure, and will bring its capabilities and expertise to the KTH partnership.
Patrik Hofbauer, Telia Company President and CEO: “Building sovereign tech capabilities is a matter of urgency for Sweden and Europe, and smart partnerships are how we make it happen. Telia’s secure and resilient services make us a trusted partner for entire societies; KTH’s outstanding research is putting Swedish innovation on the global map; and Brookfield have announced major investments in Sweden’s AI infrastructure. Together, we intend to accelerate cutting-edge technologies that enable new value for customers and competitiveness for our region.”
Anders Söderholm, President of KTH: “KTH is working across departments, disciplines and research areas to develop the expertise and capabilities required to influence the future of the AI revolution. This makes us an ideal university partner in this transformative technology. Our collaboration with Telia and Brookfield will help create a sovereign AI ecosystem that can strengthen both Sweden and Europe.”
Sikander Rashid, Head of AI Infrastructure for Brookfield: “The addition of KTH reinforces the partnership between Brookfield and Telia and marks another important step in supporting Sweden’s ambition to become a leader in AI. As demand for AI services continues to grow across Europe, success will depend on a strong ecosystem that brings together infrastructure, connectivity and innovation.”
KTH is Sweden’s largest technical university and is ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide. The university conducts cutting-edge research in several fields, including AI, and works to translate new scientific findings into practical applications, products and companies through initiatives such as KTH Innovation.
