As part of his official visit to Bulgaria, António Costa, President of the Council of the European Union, visited the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) in Sofia. He was accompanied by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rosen Zhelyazkov. The visit highlighted Bulgaria’s growing role in global innovation and artificial intelligence research.
Prof. Martin Vechev and Eng. Borislav Petrov presented INSAIT’s rapid progress and key achievements, which have helped position Bulgaria on the global AI and technology map. Among the highlights were strategic AI projects such as BgGPT — the first Bulgarian language model — and MamayLM, tailored for the Ukrainian language. Additional projects in the fields of earth observation, robotics, drones, and other emerging technologies were also presented.
A major development shared during the visit was Bulgaria’s selection as the host of the new European AI Factory — a €90 million initiative aimed at advancing generative AI technologies in Europe. This reinforces INSAIT’s status as a strategic AI hub for the region.
Mr. Costa also toured INSAIT’s state-of-the-art laboratories and held discussions with leading researchers. The agenda included conversations on defense-related AI initiatives, further underscoring Bulgaria’s rising importance as a technological leader in Europe.