Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis inaugurated the new building of the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications at the National Centre for Scientific Research (NCSR) Demokritos on Tuesday.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Mitsotakis took aim at opposition parties, arguing that his government’s commitment to technological progress set it apart from its political rivals. “I do not think it is a coincidence that, ultimately, only this government is engaging with the future, while, unfortunately, other political forces remain trapped in the past, or even the distant past,” he said.

“I believe this is a fundamental difference that reveals who genuinely cares about the younger generation and, above all, who is concerned about Greece’s future at a time when such profound, historic changes are taking place.”

The new state-of-the-art research facility will support cutting-edge work in artificial intelligence, next-generation networks and cybersecurity.

Beyond its research activities, the building houses Demokritos’ data centre, which will serve all the research centre’s institutes as well as companies based at the Lefkippos Technology Park.

The data centre will also host a hub operated by the National Infrastructures for Research and Technology (GRNET), providing a fast and secure connection to the DAEDALUS supercomputer. This will facilitate the transfer of data for processing in research and other applications.

The new Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications building also houses the offices of Pharos S.A., Greece’s AI Factory. The company serves as the commercial arm of the PHAROS project and is responsible for interacting with and supporting users.

The building is not only designed to accommodate a wide range of activities but will also serve as a research environment in its own right. Conceived as a smart building, it will function as a living laboratory for testing intelligent building technologies.

Construction of the new Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications facility forms part of a broader building development programme at Demokritos, financed by the European Investment Bank.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos, Deputy Development Minister Stavros Kalafatis, Secretary-General for Research and Innovation Dimitris Terzis, Demokritos director and board chairman Vangelis Karkaletsis, and Giorgos Paliouras, deputy director of the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications.