4192. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for the up-to-date position of the implementation of the national strategy on artificial intelligence insofar as it relates to research, innovation and skills development; the funding allocated and expended to date; the key performance indicators being used to assess progress; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55942/26]

My Department is collaborating with Department of An Taoiseach to implement Digital Ireland: Connecting our People, Securing our Future. Under the Strategy, Ireland will strengthen the pipeline of digital specialists with AI skills and develop a comprehensive range of re-skilling and upskilling opportunities to support those most exposed to technological change.

Focusing on AI Research and Innovation, the following progress can be noted:

• Through Research Ireland, I have funded the new Rinn Artificial Intelligence, investing €120m to build Ireland’s AI capability.

• Leveraging €5 million pledged by the EU, I have pledged matching co-funding to launch Ireland's AI Factory Antenna.

• A procurement process for the new CASPIr HPC supercomputer is underway, in conjunction with the EU High Performance Joint Undertaking.

Research Ireland also continues to fund a variety of related initiatives, including for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.

In relation to the skills agenda:

• I have launched AI micro-qualifications, developed by SOLAS in February through the 16 ETBs, to upskill citizens and Irish businesses in AI technologies; AI courses are also funded under Springboard+ and many are available under the fee subsidy scheme.

• In April I launched an online platform, AIReady.ie, offering AI learning opportunities to support the digital transformation. Future phases of the platform will expand the range of user profiles supported and provide more specialised learning opportunities.

• My officials hope to finalise the establishment of the National Skills Observatory by the end of the year.

• Research that will inform a Statement of Ambition on Digital and AI Skills and the Roadmap for Technology Skills of the Future is expected to conclude shortly.

In relation to funding for AI skills, an exact breakdown is unfortunately not available at present as AI supports are embedded across a broad suite of development programmes rather than broken down thematically.

In Q1 2027, Department of An Taoiseach will provide a detailed progress report on the implementation of Digital Ireland.