Milan, June 17, 2025 – The Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence for Industry (AI4I) and MADE Competence Center, the highly specialized center established in Italy as part of the National Industry 4.0 Plan, have signed a multi-year agreement to implement joint initiatives to support the spread of artificial intelligence in the national production system, with a focus on SMEs and the manufacturing sector.
The agreement stems from the sharing of a common will: to strengthen the ability of Italian companies to integrate artificial intelligence into their production and organizational processes, through a strategic alliance between advanced research, technology transfer, training and technical support. All with the aim of systemizing and enhancing the experience in the digitization of the manufacturing enterprise gained in recent years by MADE, with the expertise on frontier AI guaranteed by AI4I.
The collaboration covers various areas: technical consulting; continuing education; and complementary content between AI4I Academy and MADE Competence Center to create culture on issues related to digitization and raise awareness among businesses, institutions and trade associations.
AI4I and MADE then plan to share access to high-performance computing (HPC) resources, which enable processing data and performing complex calculations at high speed, and to participate jointly in European and national calls.
The partnership also extends to Italy’s AI Factory, one of the first strategic artificial intelligence platforms in Europe, and to strengthen service offerings on a national scale, the two entities will jointly promote their respective services, including AI4I’s System User Knowledge, a platform for matching supply and demand for AI solutions, and the DRAIVE methodology developed by MADE.
The agreement, valid until December 2027, consolidates the two entities’ role as key players in the Italian innovation ecosystem, enhancing their respective networks and expertise. MADE, coordinator of the European AI-MATTERS project in Italy, and AI4I, a national institute established in 2024 by MEF, MIMIT and MUR, aim to build an effective bridge between advanced research and concrete market needs.