Berlin – Oct 21, 2026 – The AI Factory HammerHAI today announced a new initiative with the NVIDIA Inception program for startups that will accelerate AI-driven innovation in Germany and across Europe. NVIDIA Inception connects eligible AI startups with advanced computing infrastructure and offers support through its global network of experts, partners, and investors. Under this collaboration, AI startups will receive easier access to HammerHAI’s portfolio of computing resources and services, while opening new pathways for HammerHAI system users to fast-track AI research, application development, and product commercialization.
HammerHAI (Hybrid and Advanced Machine Learning Platform for Manufacturing, Engineering, and Research) is one of 19 AI Factories established by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, an EU initiative that is coordinating the implementation of a sovereign infrastructure for artificial intelligence across Europe. Selected as the first AI Factory in Germany, HammerHAI is conceived as a one-stop-shop for artificial intelligence. It provides startups, SMEs, and academic investigators access both to advanced computing capabilities and a comprehensive portfolio of resources and technical expertise, focusing on the fields of manufacturing, engineering, and scientific research.
NVIDIA Inception provides startups with free support in accessing and effectively using NVIDIA computing technologies. It provides advanced professional education, mentoring, and community building through the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute, as well as access to consulting services, developer tools and programming resources. To accelerate the commercialization of new AI technologies, the program also offers business networking opportunities and connects startups to investors from across the NVIDIA Venture Capital Alliance.
Under this agreement, access to HammerHAI’s new supercomputer — which is scheduled to go into operation at the High-Performance Computing Center of the University of Stuttgart (HLRS) in early 2027 — will be included in the portfolio of resources available to eligible NVIDIA Inception members. Built by HPE, the HammerHAI supercomputer is built on the NVIDIA GB200 NVL4 platform with NVIDIA Quantum-X800 Infiniband networking and NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, making this a full-stack AI factory from the HPE AI Factory with NVIDIA portfolio. With more than 15 exaflops of peak AI inference performance, the system gives German and European startups a powerful, secure alternative to commercial AI cloud providers.
HammerHAI also offers a comprehensive ecosystem of AI services, including personalized strategic and technical consulting, customized training programs, and collaborative development tools. Moreover, a dedicated “concierge service”provides a structured framework to support AI adoption at every stage of the development lifecycle, from strategic planning through data preparation, model building, deployment, and optimization.
Dr. Dennis Hoppe, head of the HLRS Department of Converged Computing and project manager of HammerHAI, introduced the initiative today at NVIDIA GTC in Berlin: “Working with the NVIDIA Inception program will enhance HammerHAI’s ability to pursue one of its key objectives — providing innovative startups across Germany with expertise, support, and computing resources that will enable them to more quickly take advantage of the opportunities that artificial intelligence now offers.”
“Germany’s industrial strength and its startup community are starting to converge, with founders applying accelerated computing to manufacturing and engineering problems that need real computing capacity behind them,” said Tobias Halloran, director of EMEAI startups at NVIDIA. “Through this collaboration, HammerHAI will make its supercomputer and hands-on technical support available to eligible NVIDIA Inception members as they take advanced computing applications from research to market.”
How startups can participate in NVIDIA Inception
Startups must apply to participate in NVIDIA Inception. Once accepted, Inception members can use the NVIDIA Inception portal to request computing time and AI services provided by HammerHAI or other participating partners.
It is also possible for startups interested in utilizing HammerHAI computing infrastructure and services to contact the AI Factory directly. The collaboration with NVIDIA Inception will, however, improve HammerHAI’s ability to connect with potential users who could benefit from its robust offerings.
About HammerHAI
Established as Germany’s first AI Factory, HammerHAI provides secure, scalable AI resources for startups, SMEs, large enterprises, and scientific institutions in need of powerful computing capabilities for AI-driven solutions. Focusing particularly on the needs of industry, manufacturing, and engineering, HammerHAI features an AI-optimized supercomputer for training and inference, as well as an expert team that provides personalized support for AI users at all stages in the AI lifecycle. It offers consulting services and professional education, and collaborates with other AI initiatives to accelerate the uptake of AI technologies in Europe.
HammerHAI is coordinated by the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart in partnership with the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre, the Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Göttingen, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and SICOS BW. It also collaborates with EPCC at the University of Edinburgh through the UK AI Factory Antenna.
The acquisition and operation of the EuroHPC Al-optimized supercomputer is funded jointly by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, through the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme, as well as by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts.
Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the EuroHPC JU. This project has received funding from the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No. 101234027. It is co-funded by the European Commission, the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts and the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture.
Press Contact
Sarah Heinisch, High-Performance Computing Center of the University of Stuttgart (HLRS)
Tel.: +49 (0) 711 / 685-87188, sarah.heinisch(at)hlrs.de
