Sigma2 is Norway's national provider of high-performance computing and data storage. We are operated on Norwegian soil and constitute a central part of the infrastructure for research in Norway.
Through our AI Factory (KI-fabrikken) and the National Competence Centre for HPC (NCC), we also give public administration and industry access to computing power, AI development and expert support.
We have customers and users across fields ranging from research on language and language models to climate, ocean and health research. For example, our services were used by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) to calculate the R-number and vaccine effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Library of Norway uses our services to train the Norwegian language models in the Borealis series, and our competence centre has, among other things, assisted the Norwegian Customs Authority (Tolletaten) with machine learning for improved data quality in customs declarations.
Altogether, we support several hundred research projects across most academic fields.
Ownership and funding
Sigma2 AS is a state-owned limited company established in 2015, owned by Sikt — Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research. We are funded by the Ministry of Education and Research through the Research Council of Norway, with contributions from the universities of Bergen, Oslo, Tromsø and NTNU.
Initiatives under Sigma2
KI-fabrikken, led by Sigma2, is our national initiative to make artificial intelligence accessible for research, the public sector and industry, with the supercomputer Olivia at its core.
Here you can train and test AI models in a secure environment with expert support, Norwegian data storage and a low-threshold onboarding process. Read more about KI-fabrikken
The National Competence Centre for HPC (NCC), led by Sigma2, helps industry — particularly small and medium-sized enterprises — and public administration get started with advanced services in computing power and big data.
Through Sigma2, the centre also offers free exploratory testing (up to 20,000 CPU hours) via our test service, SSEW. Read more about the National Competence Centre for HPC (NCC)
The NRIS collaboration
The four universities work closely with Sigma2 to operate the national services. This collaboration is known as NRIS (Norwegian research infrastructure services).
NRIS brings together highly qualified IT staff from the universities of Bergen, Oslo and Tromsø, and NTNU, alongside Sigma2 employees. Together, we form a nationwide network of expertise, providing users with quick and easy access to specialised support close to their home institution.
Core activities in NRIS:
- Joint operation of the national supercomputers and storage systems for research data, with combined user support and a national helpdesk.
- Training and dissemination of resources and activities for research communities.
- Participation in international partnerships and projects within e-infrastructure.
All research communities in need of high-performance computing and large-scale data storage can apply for resources twice a year or purchase access. See application deadlines and pricing.
Our history
If you're curious about how Norway has, over many decades, invested in supercomputers and related services to advance Norwegian research, take a look at our history: A journey through Norwegian e-infrastructure history