Sigma2

Sigma2 AS is a Norwegian state-owned limited company that operates the national e-infrastructure for research. It provides high-performance computing (HPC), large-scale data storage, sensitive-data services and, more recently, artificial intelligence infrastructure to researchers, public administration and industry. Its services are hosted on Norwegian soil, a point the organisation emphasises as a matter of secure and sovereign computing capacity. Sigma2 describes itself as "Norway's national provider of high-performance computing and data storage" and as "a central part of the infrastructure for research in Norway." The company's portfolio spans national supercomputers and Norway's share of the European LUMI supercomputer, the NIRD family of storage services (NIRD Data Peak, NIRD Data Lake and NIRD Service Platform), the Sensitive Data Services (TSD) platform for privacy-regulated data, and support services such as Advanced User Support, Small Scale Exploratory Work and Course Resources as a Service. Under the Sigma2 umbrella sit two further initiatives: KI-fabrikken, the Norwegian AI Factory, which gives public-sector organisations and businesses a secure environment to train and experiment with AI models, and the National Competence Centre for HPC (NCC), which offers expert guidance. Sigma2's user base covers most academic fields, from language and language models to climate, ocean and health research. Documented examples include the Norwegian Institute of Public Health's use of Sigma2 services to calculate the R-number and vaccine effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Library of Norway's training of the Borealis Norwegian language models, and assistance to the Norwegian Customs Authority on machine learning for customs-declaration data quality. Altogether the organisation supports several hundred research projects. Ownership is public: Sigma2 AS is a state-owned limited company owned by Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research. It is funded by the Ministry of Education and Research through the Research Council of Norway, with contributions from the University of Bergen, the University of Oslo, UiT The Arctic University of Norway and NTNU. The company has offices in Trondheim and operates on a non-commercial basis. It was established on 2 December 2004, continuing work begun in the Notur project (2000–2004), and since 2007 it has also been responsible for the NorGrid and NorStore infrastructure projects. In 2015 it was reorganised as a state-owned limited company.

Sigma2's roots lie in Norway's early investment in high-performance computing. According to Sigma2's own account of the history of Norwegian e-infrastructure, investments in HPC were made by the Research Council of Norway, Statoil, Hydro, SINTEF and NTNU as early as the mid-1980s. The Notur project ran from 2000 to 2004 and established a national framework for advanced scientific computing; Sigma2 AS was established on 2 December 2004 to continue that work. In its early years the company was closely tied to the UNINETT Sigma consortium. The Notur II project (2005–2014) had as consortium participants UNINETT Sigma, the University of Bergen (UiB), the University of Oslo (UiO), UiT The Arctic University of Norway, NTNU and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, and was financed by the Research Council of Norway together with the consortium participants. Since 2007 Sigma2 has also been responsible for the NorGrid and NorStore infrastructure projects, extending its remit from computing into grid infrastructure and data storage. Over time the organisation broadened from pure HPC provision into a full e-infrastructure portfolio. It added advanced data storage and cloud-compatible services under the NIRD name, a platform for sensitive data (TSD), and user-facing support services such as Advanced User Support, Small Scale Exploratory Work and Course Resources as a Service. It also took on coordination of Norway's grid-infrastructure efforts and representation of Norway in international grid work. A significant structural change came in 2015, when Sigma2 was reorganised as a state-owned limited company (AS) owned by Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research. Funding comes from the Ministry of Education and Research through the Research Council of Norway, with contributions from the University of Bergen, the University of Oslo, UiT The Arctic University of Norway and NTNU. The company operates on a non-commercial basis and has offices in Trondheim. In the 2020s Sigma2's role expanded into artificial intelligence. KI-fabrikken, the Norwegian AI Factory led by Sigma2, was created as a national initiative to make AI accessible for research, the public sector and industry, with secure Norwegian-hosted infrastructure, professional support and low-threshold onboarding; it forms part of the European EuroHPC collaboration. The National Competence Centre for HPC (NCC) provides related expert support. In September 2026 Norway, through Sigma2, joined LUMI-AI, Europe's new AI supercomputer, giving Norwegian research, the public sector and business a substantial increase in available computing power. Sigma2's supercomputers, including Betzy at NTNU in Trondheim and Olivia at Lefdal Mine Data Centers, host work across climate, ocean, health, language and other fields, and the organisation supports several hundred research projects.

• 2026

  Norway joins LUMI-AI, Europe's new AI supercomputer, through Sigma2.

• 2015

  Sigma2 is reorganised as a state-owned limited company owned by Sikt.

• 2007

  Sigma2 takes on responsibility for the NorGrid and NorStore infrastructure projects.

• 2005

  The Notur II project (2005–2014) begins with consortium participants UNINETT Sigma, UiB, UiO, UiT, NTNU and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

• 2004

  Sigma2 AS is established on 2 December 2004, continuing the work started in the Notur project.

• 2000

  The Notur project begins, establishing a national framework for advanced scientific computing in Norway.

Norway's national, state-owned provider of secure, domestically hosted high-performance computing, data storage and AI infrastructure for research, the public sector and industry.

• High-Performance Computing (HPC)

  Access to the national supercomputers and Norway's part of the European supercomputer LUMI.

• NIRD Data Peak

  A high-performance storage service tailored for data-intensive workloads and scientific investigations.

• NIRD Data Lake

  A cloud-compatible storage service designed for sharing and storing data during and beyond a project's lifetime.

• NIRD Service Platform

  Cloud computing services running on the same infrastructure where data is stored.

• Sensitive Data Services (TSD)

  A specialised platform to securely store, process and analyse sensitive data while adhering to privacy regulations.

• KI-fabrikken (Norwegian AI Factory)

  A national initiative to make AI accessible for research, the public sector and industry, with secure Norwegian infrastructure and professional support; part of the European EuroHPC collaboration.

• National Competence Centre for HPC (NCC)

  Provides expert guidance and support on high-performance computing.

1. 1Front page | Sigma2sigma2.no
2. 2A journey through the history of the Norwegian e-infrastructure | Sigma2sigma2.no
3. 3About us | Sigma2sigma2.no
4. 4Services overview | Sigma2sigma2.no
5. 5Sigma2 AS – Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Sigma2 – Wikipedia (Norwegian)no.wikipedia.org