At the Techritory forum on October 21, Latvia’s National Artificial Intelligence Centre (AI Latvia) and New Nordics AI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU aims to help businesses and public sector organisations implement AI more successfully by connecting the region’s knowledge, experience, and partners.
The strategic partnership marks Latvia’s official accession to the regional initiative, bridging national AI ecosystems across the Baltic and Nordic regions to accelerate responsible AI adoption, boost enterprise competitiveness, and pool regional expertise.
The MoU establishes a practical framework for cross-border collaboration across four core directions: EU AI Act implementation, regional language technologies, enterprise & industrial AI adoption, and skills development.
“The Nordic and Baltic countries have a long tradition of working together to address common challenges and seize new opportunities. We are therefore pleased to see New Nordics AI expand its collaboration with partners across the Baltic region. By strengthening connections between our AI ecosystems, we create better conditions for knowledge-sharing, innovation and responsible AI adoption, to the benefit of the entire region.” — Karen Ellemann, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers
A shared commitment to action
The alliance unites two instrumental players in Northern Europe’s digital ecosystem. AI Latvia brings together government, industry, and researchers to drive secure, trustworthy AI development. New Nordics AI – supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers and initiated by leading ecosystem hubs including AI Sweden, AI Finland, Digital Dogme, TEK Norge, and Almannarómur – connects national AI entities to scale solutions across the entire region.
Addressing forum attendees during the official signing ceremony, leadership from both organizations emphasized that the value of the MoU will be defined by swift execution and real deliveries.
“The task of AI Latvia is to connect needs, knowledge, and partners so that artificial intelligence opportunities translate into practical benefits for the Latvian economy and society. In cooperation with New Nordics AI, we want to both learn from the experience of neighbouring countries and contribute Latvia’s input to projects. If a solution is already working successfully in one country, we must be able to use this experience elsewhere as well. Together, we can help businesses and public institutions implement trustworthy solutions faster and strengthen the competitiveness of the entire region,” said Guna Puce, Director of the National Artificial Intelligence Centre of Latvia, during the signing ceremony.
Gisli Ragnar Gudmundsson, Co-Lead of New Nordics AI, also commented on the MoU:
“Trying to convert things into actual action and make stuff actually happen – that’s going to be the key moving forward. And we’re excited to have the Baltic region join us properly because there’s so much that we can learn from each other. […]I think we should just take that one step further and work across the Baltics and the Nordics, especially with a technology like AI. It’s so new, and is moving so quickly. Everyone is learning, and we just have to start to share best practices across the region on a much broader scale.”
Looking ahead
By linking Latvia’s national network with broader Nordic innovation networks, the MoU ensures solutions proven in one country can be smoothly adapted across borders. As specific projects, activities, and funding structures take shape under this MoU framework, the partnership sets a foundation for measurable regional impact.
