AI in Eastern France – At the Forefront of French AI Research

Eastern France places artificial intelligence (AI) at the heart of its economic development. Thanks to its geographic location in the middle of the European Valley for AI and the clear political commitment to support AI developments, Eastern France offers AI companies a full set of perspectives for their development in the region.

A pool of talents in Eastern France dedicated to AI

The Grand Est region gathers all the necessary ingredients to allow the optimal development of activities around artificial intelligence.

First, it is a market with strong potential with a very developed industrial network (2nd industrial region in France) and 150 of its companies set AI at the center of their development.

The region is also a pioneer in offering university education specialized in AI with 5 renowned universities hosting over 20 courses around AI. All of these possess excellent general competencies in AI and each of them has a field of expertise: UNISTRA is focused on AI applied to Health, while the University of Lorraine specializes in AI applied to Industry. Two Public Establishments of a Scientific and Technological Nature, INRIA and CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), are also fully involved in research teams and projects on AI.

Remarkable AI equipments & center in Eastern France

The region Grand Est benefits from remarkable centers and equipment such as:

• ROMEO at the University of Reims Champagne Ardennes (URCA): the HPC calculator center which reaches a computing power of 8 petaflops
• The platform for autonomous vehicles at the University of “Haute-Alsace” (UHA)
• The Creativ’Lab: a platform dedicated to technological innovation in robotics at the University of Lorraine (UL)
• The GAIA technological platform, dedicated to AI project developments in the industry at the University of Strasbourg (UNISTRA)
• Camex-IA, a Centre for Vocational Excellence – “campus des métiers” specialized in AI

This explains why over 2,500 students graduate in this field before joining the job market.

Flourishing Research & Innovation Projects in Eastern France

Research and innovation in AI in Eastern France have been flourishing over the past few years, thanks to dynamic research chairs on many AI-related topics (industry, LLM, etc.). Currently, around 400 researchers and PhD students are closely working with their partners and neighboring countries on AI development in Grand Est. Many of these research projects, based in Eastern France, often reach a national and international dimension. To name a few:

• The Cluster ENACT, carried by the Université of Lorraine (UL) and the University of Strasbourg (UNISTRA): This project has been rewarded during the call for projects “AI clusters.” This cluster aims at connecting research and university centers with startups and companies specialized in AI developments.
• The EDIH (European Digital Innovation Hub), a European project that aims at creating innovation hubs. It gathers universities of the Grand Est region and offers services to industrial companies which plan to test and train themselves on new AI and cybersecurity technologies.
• Grand Est Solutions (formerly Get Numériques), a team working on connecting AI communities with each other and developing an exhaustive list of solution providers based in Grand Est who offer a great variety of services to companies wishing to operate their digital transformation or needing specific AI tools for their activity.

Main Impactful IA Research & Innovation Projects in Grand Est

ROMEO is an Hybrid supercomputer among the most powerful in France by Nvidia/ATOS that computes power that is accessible for businesses. The ROMEO computer also provides specialized training for the use of HPC (High-Performance Computing) and the development of specific applications dedicated to this environment. The University of Reims Champagne Ardennes (URCA), offers the rental of computing hours, allowing the research ecosystem as well as businesses in the Grand Est region to access the significant computing resources necessary to develop future AI models. The ROMEO supercomputer at URCA has now reached 2nd place in the global GREEN500 ranking and 1st place at the French level. It thus competes with the best infrastructures in the world in terms of computing power and for energy-efficiency. More Info about ROMEO Here.

 LORIA (Laboratoire Lorrain de Recherche en Informatique et ses Applications) at the University of Lorraine (UL) focuses on fundamental and applied research in computer science. It consists of 29 teams across 5 departments, with 15 teams shared with INRIA, totaling over 400 members. LORIA excels in AI research areas such as natural language processing, machine learning, computer vision, and intelligent robotics. It is known for high-quality scientific output, with 40% of its publications in top conferences and journals. Its strong international collaboration, involving 74 countries, enhances its leadership in AI, particularly in cybersecurity and quantum computing applied to AI. More Info About LORIA Here.

ICube (Laboratoire des Sciences de l’Ingénieur, de l’Informatique et de l’Imagerie) at the University of Strasbourg is a key player in applied AI, with 764 members across 5 campuses. Its AI research focuses on medical imaging and robotics, AI for health, and environmental data science. ICube stands out for its interdisciplinary approach, with 25% of its publications involving team collaborations. The lab is heavily involved in innovation, with 200 active patents and 6 startups created. Its AI expertise is strengthened by participation in numerous national and European projects, and it supports research with 7 platforms. More Info About ICube Here.

The Cluster ENACT aims to make the Grand Est region a European leader in AI, with a comprehensive strategy for education, research, and innovation to benefit the entire region and beyond. The ENACT cluster plans to double the number of AI students by 2030. The project focuses on three themes: research, education, and technology transfer, involving many regional partners (IHU Strasbourg, CHRU Nancy, INSERM, and around 50 companies). It centers on AI for engineering and scientific discovery, AI for health, and natural language processing (with a goal to develop a competitor to ChatGPT in specific domains). It will include 18 research chairs, 14 technology transfer engineers, 100 theses, and 60 CIFRE theses. The education component will train AI experts and students in other AI application fields (AI + X, AI and chemistry, for example) from undergraduate to doctoral levels. The project is funded with €30M from the ANR. There will be 9 AI Clusters in France forming a network. More Info About the Cluster Here.

Artificial Intelligence R&D Investments in Eastern France

Many private companies in Grand Est are also developing and investing substantially in Artifical Intelligence R&D. To name a few:

• Cognitive Factory, a project carried out by Euro-Information (the technological subsidiary of Crédit Mutuel Bank), based in Strasbourg, is currently working on deploying AI in all bank/insurance-related jobs in partnership with IBM and its platform Watsonx.
• The Digital Lab from Arcelor Mittal: a research laboratory developed by the steel production company Arcelor Mittal, which includes technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, and AI to improve the reliability, security, and operational effectiveness of its production processes.
• The SNCF Innovation Hub “574 Grand Est”, a completely dematerialized hub focusing on innovation and digital transformation of SNCF processes. It uses AI and other technologies to improve customer satisfaction, optimize operations, and develop new solutions for rail transport.
• T&S’s Englab, an experimental production line “of the future,” combining AI, automation, and collaboration between workers and machines to improve its manufacturing processes.

A Regional Plan to Promote the Adoption and Emergence of Innovative AI Solutions in Grand Est

Since 2019, the Grand Est region has implemented a €350 million AI plan focused on:

1. Boosting business competitiveness
2. Supporting scientific excellence
3. Assisting startup development
4. Developing regional skills
5. Ensuring transparent, ethical, and inclusive AI

This plan aligns with a European dynamic, collaborating with Germany (Stuttgart), Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland to create a European AI valley.

The region offers direct support to local businesses for AI diagnostics and adoption. Innovative AI solution providers can be financed up to €100,000. This support is complemented by a network dedicated to guiding businesses in their AI transition, including Grand Est Développement and the regional digital hub EDIH, supported by the European Commission.

At Grand Est Développement, Our Transformation Program connect regional solution providers with regional businesses, offering comprehensive support and a 360° diagnostic to assess progress and needs (digital, HR, environment, Industry 5.0, customer relations, etc.). Specific diagnostics can follow the360° diagnostic, fostering “short-channel” dynamics and technology transfer.

41 solution providers are listed at Grand Est développement Solutions to meet the transformation needs of Grand Est businesses.

A State-of-the-Art Infrastructure in Grand Est for AI Development

The Grand Est region is poised to become a leading hub for AI development, thanks to its robust and expanding infrastructure.  During the AI Action Summit in February 2025, it was announced that Grand Est will host 5 to 7 low-emission AI data centers, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable technology. 

The region boasts high-performance infrastructure, including extensive fiber optics networks (ranked as the 3rd global IT highway), widespread fiber and 5G deployment.  Additionally, the ROMEO supercomputer provides exceptional computational power, further enhancing the region’s capabilities. With these advancements, Grand Est is well-equipped to support cutting-edge AI research and innovation.