Letter of Intent – AIRE’s participation in New Nordics AI

NEW NORDICS AI A Nordic Council of Ministers initiative Reykjavík, 16 June 2026 To: AIRE – AI & Robotics Estonia Re: Letter of Intent – AIRE’s participation in New Nordics AI Dear colleagues at AIRE & Taltech, On behalf of New Nordics AI (NNAI), a Nordic Council of Ministers initiative, we are writing to express our sincere intent to welcome AIRE – AI & Robotics Estonia as a partner and ecosystem player within the New Nordics AI Centre. We see AIRE as a natural and valuable addition to the Nordic–Baltic AI ecosystem we are building together. New Nordics AI is a collaborative initiative working to strengthen the Nordic and Baltic region’s position as a globally competitive AI community — one that combines technological excellence, public-interest values, and practical industrial impact. Achieving this depends on the active involvement of strong national hubs and ecosystem orchestrators who can connect industry, research, the public sector, and the wider European AI landscape. AIRE is exactly such a partner. Why we want AIRE on board As Estonia’s national AI and robotics innovation hub and a European Digital Innovation Hub, AIRE has built a strong bridge between industry, research organisations, public-sector stakeholders, and the wider European AI ecosystem. With more than 400 clients, nine services currently available to companies, and clients who have been triggered to make additional investments of over €64 million, AIRE has demonstrated a clear and measurable ability to turn AI and robotics into real business value. Within New Nordics AI, we see AIRE contributing as an ecosystem orchestrator with a unique combination of practical AI deployment experience, strong connections to manufacturing and SME ecosystems, and direct links to European AI infrastructures and services. AIRE has earned the trust of researchers, the public sector, and its business-sector clients alike. Its particular added value lies in the ability to: –​ translate cutting-edge AI technologies into real-world business applications; –​ facilitate cross-border collaboration across the Nordic–Baltic region; –​ connect companies with research and testing facilities; and –​ accelerate AI adoption among industry and SMEs. Through its extensive European network and experience in ecosystem orchestration, AIRE can help position New Nordics AI as a globally competitive innovation community that pairs technological excellence with concrete industrial impact. It is precisely this orchestrator role — alongside, not instead of, AIRE’s standing in the European ecosystem — that we would like to see AIRE take up within NNAI. Timing and next steps We are currently finalising the governance and partnership framework for New Nordics AI, and we expect to officially introduce the Baltic partners this fall. Our intention is for AIRE to be among the partners onboarded as part of this process. In the meantime, this Letter of Intent signals our clear commitment to bringing AIRE into the initiative and is intended to support and accelerate the steps required on AIRE’s side. We would welcome the opportunity to align on the practical and legal details, and to confirm a shared timeline towards signature. This letter expresses a mutual intent to collaborate and is not legally binding; the rights and obligations of the parties will be set out in the definitive NNAI partnership documents to be signed by both sides. We very much look forward to building New Nordics AI together with AIRE. With warm regards, Gisli Ragnar Gudmundsson Interim Co-Lead, New Nordics AI Iida Lähdemäki Interim Co-Lead, New Nordics AI