Telenor Builds Norway’s First AI Factory, Offering Sustainable and Sovereign Data Processing

Norway’s first sustainable and secure AI cloud service demonstrates how countries can maintain data sovereignty while advancing green computing initiatives.

Building on 170 years as a telecommunications provider, Telenor opened Norway’s first AI factory in November. The facility enables organizations to process sensitive data securely on Norwegian soil while prioritizing environmental responsibility.

Telenor’s Chief Innovation Officer and Head of the AI Factory Kaaren Hilsen joined the NVIDIA AI Podcast to discuss the AI factory’s rapid development, as it went from concept to reality in under a year. It now serves customers across industries including logistics and public services, and delivers sustainable and secure sovereign AI — where nations own the production of their own intelligence.

Telenor’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its plans to build a data center in Oslo that will run on renewable energy and repurpose excess heat for district heating in nearby residential buildings.

Sovereign AI infrastructure helps nations manage sensitive data and advance sustainability goals. As Hilsen said, the AI factory isn’t just about building infrastructure — it’s about “helping move society forward,” responsibly and sustainably.

Hilsen will share more insights at NVIDIA GTC, the leading global AI conference, in a session titled, “Accelerating Sovereign AI Factories: Insights from Telco Case Studies.”

Explore the lineup of telecom sessions at GTC and learn more about telecom companies becoming sovereign AI factories.

In NVIDIA’s third annual survey of telecommunications professionals, 84% of respondents intend to offer generative AI solutions to their customers, primarily as software-as-a-service (52%) and as a developer platform, including compute services (35%). Learn more in the full report.

Time Stamps

01:39 – Hilsen details her 25-year telco industry background and recent focus on sustainable innovation.

07:39 – How the AI factory went from concept to reality in less than a year.

13:09 – Exploration of how customers are using the AI factory for sensitive data processing.

16:50 – The importance of security and building trust with customers.

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