Time for the state to act on AI research

Anders Söderholm

, 2026-10-14

In an article published in Dagens Industri on 30 September, Björn Rosengren argues that the government has abdicated its responsibility for AI research. This is an important and clear contribution to the debate on AI. KTH is ready to take responsibility for its part.

The debate on AI has become increasingly heated recently, with a wide range of comments on the necessary actions in various sectors and the responsibility of policymakers in addressing this fundamental societal issue. Rosengren highlights something that we at the universities have recognised for a long time. The Swedish AI debate focuses on data centres and energy, the need for venture capital, scaling up new business ideas and reforming primary and secondary education. All of this is necessary. However, the latest AI breakthroughs in fields such as mathematics demonstrate how quickly the conditions for research itself are evolving. Without world-class research and the people it trains, the infrastructure becomes empty and has no future.

New methods emerge and the next generation of engineers and researchers is shaped in research environments. It is also there that businesses and society can access the expertise needed to use AI wisely and responsibly. Unlike many other stakeholders, universities are not merely subject to the AI revolution. We have the capacity to create, drive and steer the development that is now unfolding at an ever-increasing pace.

Sweden has been fortunate in many ways. Private initiatives, not least the investments of the Wallenberg Foundations, have laid a strong foundation. However, private forces cannot fully replace the government’s long-term responsibility. The countries we compare ourselves to are now investing vigorously and strategically. If we do not match their levels of investment, we will lose both researchers and competitiveness, and it will take a long time to recover from that loss.

As soon as it takes office, the new government will have an opportunity to demonstrate its leadership. It will require courage to provide long-term and predictable resources for AI research, graduate education and the computational capacity that this research requires. KTH and Sweden’s other universities are ready to play our part. Now, policymakers must take a significant step forward by creating long-term conditions that extend beyond government formations, campaign promises and annual budget decisions.

Strengthening total defence through knowledge and research

Anders Söderholm

, 2026-09-03

As is well known, building up total defence is a task in which all sectors of society are involved. In recent years, this work has intensified, with significant resources also being allocated to it. Universities, too, must adapt to the new societal challenges arising from the increased need for resilience, as well as the development of civil and military capabilities in order to cope with a more turbulent world.

Some time ago, the KTH Centre for total defence was established with the aim of increasing our visibility and capacity in matters relating to total defence. The Centre was also set up to gather and disseminate knowledge regarding relevant research and education. KTH is also responsible for Cybercampus Sweden, a national initiative that promotes research, education and innovation in the field of cyber security.

The Svenskt Krut centre was inaugurated this week at KTH, in collaboration with the FMV (Swedish Defence Materiel Administration), the FOI (Swedish Defence Research Agency), and Swedish industry. The centre’s aim is to secure the national supply chain for the raw materials used in the production of nitrocellulose-based ammunition. The basic research required, which has a range of other applications, is well suited to a university environment given KTH’s expertise and research excellence built up over many years.

There are further examples of areas in which universities must take a more proactive approach to total defence needs today. They must also define what is and isn’t appropriate for them to work on. This is also important for the education sector, where the need for skills development and provision is becoming increasingly apparent as a result of the current international situation and geopolitical tensions.

Swedish research plays a long-term role in strengthening Sweden’s total defence and self-sufficiency. Svensk Krut is another piece of the jigsaw in this regard, where we, as a university, bring together the societal challenges we face with the successful research and education environments available at KTH.

AI races ahead while campus estate management stalls

Anders Söderholm

, 2026-06-24

Surely everyone has noticed that an AI revolution is currently underway. This technological shift will bring about major changes, even if we currently find it difficult to grasp the full extent of what is happening.

This is often the case with major technological shifts. When the steam engine, electricity or the telephone first appeared, it was also hard to predict the societal changes that would follow.

AI, on the other hand, is not new. Research has been ongoing for decades, but it is only in recent years that its applications have had a widespread impact. Today, we recognise that research methods will also undergo fundamental change. With the help of AI, increasingly complex research problems can be formulated and solved more quickly than ever before. Large volumes of data can be processed rapidly, and scientific breakthroughs that would otherwise have taken years can now be achieved much more quickly thanks to access to advanced computing power.

AI is already transforming research methods, as well as the conditions for business and the public sector. Complex problems can be analysed more quickly, large volumes of data can be handled more efficiently, and new products and services are emerging at a rapid pace.

Universities have a special role to play in this development. On the one hand, the new knowledge on which AI is based is generated through successful research. On the other hand, AI is transforming the content of education and research itself. We must remain at the forefront of knowledge development while also finding time to study and address the ethical, environmental, and social consequences of this technological shift.

Universities suddenly find themselves at the centre of a technological arms race in a geopolitically turbulent world where science, diplomacy and international conflicts are intertwined in ways that politics, academia and the business sector are not accustomed to dealing with. This therefore requires rigorous yet agile and adaptable analysis, along with clear priorities, so that Sweden and Europe can take responsibility, foster independence, and reduce vulnerability.

If I had written about this topic a year ago, or were to write about it a year from now, the text would be completely different, simply because developments are moving so rapidly. This is in stark contrast to another topic I often write about: akademiska hus and the provision of university premises. In that area, developments are so slow that every piece of writing on the subject seems just as relevant year after year. Imagine if it were the other way around 🙂

Developments hardly ever take a summer break, but I hope that many of you will have the chance to do so. Summer greetings from Almedalen!

KTH ready for Almedalsveckan

Anders Söderholm

, 2026-06-10

Almedalen Week is almost here. From 22–26 June, almost 3,000 events covering every conceivable policy and political issue will be held. As it is an election year, there will probably be more focus on policy announcements and positioning by the parties ahead of the election campaign.

KTH is, of course, on site. Researchers from KTH are participating in a variety of seminars, panel discussions and roundtable talks linked to the KTH Center for total defense, Cybercampus Sweden and many other initiatives. I am personally involved in several programme items with Chalmers and Lund University, as well as with Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University through the University Alliance Stockholm Trio and the Stockholm Science City Foundation. I am also participating in quite a few other events organised by various other organisations.

As usual, it’s a week filled with public debates, discussions and meetings involving thousands of people and organisations. As mentioned, we can expect the political parties to try to gain an advantage ahead of the election this year. Hopefully, issues such as the supply of talent in STEM, Sweden’s role in cutting-edge technologies, the AI revolution, and Sweden’s competitiveness, capacity for innovation, and resilience in a changing world and within the framework of European Union policy will be raised — all of which are of great interest to KTH.

Find out more about KTH’s participation in Almedalen and view all the events in the official programme (in Swedish).

Stockholm universities squeezed by high rents

Anders Söderholm

, 2026-05-27

Fortunately, the government has decided to propose an additional allocation of three million kronor to the Royal Institute of Art in the Spring Amending Budget.

This is being done to mitigate the impact of high rental costs. That’s good. But it’s not enough.

Between 2021 and 2024, KTH has seen rent increases of nearly 20 per cent for leased premises, and our average rent is now around 1,300 SEK per square metre higher than the national average. This equates to premises costs that are approximately 280 million SEK higher than the national average. And that’s every year!

The higher operating costs of running a university in the capital compared to other parts of the country are impossible to ignore. Furthermore, KTH is in many ways an elite university with high applicant numbers and a large proportion of internationally leading research. It is time to draw a line around Stockholm and protect the capital’s higher education institutions from the depletion caused by the current model for providing facilities.

There are many ways to achieve this. However, providing direct financial support, as was done for the Royal Institute of Art, would be a targeted and effective approach.

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Time for the state to act on AI research

Strengthening total defence through knowledge and research

AI races ahead while campus estate management stalls

KTH ready for Almedalsveckan

Stockholm universities squeezed by high rents