Research & Art

Key Research Area: Digitalisation and AI

Digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence, robotics and communications are cut through the whole society, from education to medicine and economics.
Aalto X Reality Keynote PiP by Matti Ahlgren
Photo by Matti Ahlgren.

This area represents over one third of the scientific publications and university education in the field of digitalisation and AI in Finland.

This forms the foundation for our spearhead in Finland’s drive towards the technological transformation of many aspects of society – from new consumer services to media, entertainment, education, health care, retail, and several areas of industry.

Research in digitalisation and AI relates to both theory and practice: computational and mathematical sciences, software and hardware technologies, secure communications, digital media, services, and engineering and management across technologies and industrial sectors.

This combination provides an excellent launching pad for interdisciplinary innovations. For instance, digitalisation and social media are topics which may only be profoundly understood via multidisciplinary viewpoints combining arts, business, science and technology.

Focus areas

  • Artificial intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Digital services
  • Telecommunications
  • Power Systems
  • Robotics and Autonomous Systems
  • Acoustics and Audio Technology

Upcoming events

From behind, a person in a black suit and white apron holding a tray with a single cherry. Text reads 'Aalto Founder Sprint'.
Networking, Students

Inside Aalto Founder Sprint (Cohort #2) (external link)

​Join our open event “Inside Founder Sprint” to learn all about the Founder Sprint program starting Spring 2026, the talent-first accelerator designed for driven Aalto students.
Lectures and seminars

Meet the Professor Alex Jung: Machine learning for the people

This webinar is for alumni who want to learn and discuss the latest research with the professor

Latest news in this area

People sitting with laptops and mobile phones in a dimly lit, red-tinged room.
Research & Art, Studies Published:

Five things everyone should know about microelectronics

'Without microelectronics, our society would not function,' says Jussi Ryynänen, Dean of the School of Electrical Engineering at Aalto University. Here are five things everyone should know about microelectronics.
A futuristic glowing red hologram structure emits from a dark, intricate electronic circuit board.
Press releases Published:

AI at the speed of light just became a possibility

Researchers have demonstrated single-shot tensor computing at the speed of light.
Two people walking in a modern indoor hallway with tiled walls and grey floor. One wears a burgundy jumper, the other grey blouse.
Cooperation, Studies, University Published:

Application period for FITech’s spring courses is approaching – explore the spring 2026 course offering now!

Complement your degree with free courses from Finnish universities of technology, designed to meet the demands of the working life and help deepen your expertise! The application period for degree students starts on December 1st.
Akatemiatutkija Johanna Ahola-Launonen
Research & Art Published:

Can technology save us in the sustainability transition? Five things everyone should understand about techno-optimism

Academy Research Fellow Johanna Ahola-Launonen warns us against solving the sustainability crisis solely through technology – and explains why we are so keen to do just that

Flagships and Centres of Excellence

QTF-hero logo

Quantum Technology Finland – The National Centre of Excellence (external link)

The national Quantum Technology Finland (QTF) Centre of Excellence brings together scientific and technological excellence and cutting-edge research infrastructures to harness quantum phenomena in solid-state-based quantum devices and applications.

Infrastructure

Aalto Factory of the Future videowall

Aalto Factory of the Future

The Aalto Factory of the Future is an infrastructure to support innovation in future industrial automation, industry 4.0 & 5.0 and beyond. It allows test and trials of advanced technologies, such as future wireless communication (5G / Wifi6 and beyond) in industry.

MAGICS-infrastruktuuri mahdollistaa virtuaalitodellisuuden hyödyntämisen muun muassa taiteellisissa esityksissä. Kuva: Aalto Studios.

MAGICS – Media – Arts – Games – Interaction – Computing – Science (external link)

MAGICS is an infrastructure network to support research into motion recording, and virtual environments. It is a joint effort of Aalto University, Tampere University and the University of the Arts Helsinki.

Piece of code on the computer screen, colourful text

Science-IT

Infrastructure for high-level computational research.

Services
A dancer performing in a motion capture studio setting

Aalto Studios

Aalto Studios weaves together the players of the creative economy: designers, filmmakers, YouTubers, game developers, performing artists, educators, angel investors, public-sector operators, and more in Finland, Scandinavia, Europe, and beyond.

Research and learning infrastructures
Anturipiiri

Aalto Electronics-ICT - Electronics test facilities

School of Electrical Engineering offers 4 electronic test facilities

Services

Featured research bodies

HIIT logo

Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT (external link)

Collaborative institute for research on information technology.

HAIC logo

Helsinki-Aalto Institute for Cybersecurity HAIC (external link)

Excellence in information security research and education.

virtual acoustics research group doing measurements in a concert hall

Virtual Acoustics

Professor Tapio Lokki

Department of Information and Communications Engineering
Image from remote site: acas.fi

Aalto Center for Autonomous Systems (external link)

ACAS combines Aalto expertise on various fields to tackle challenging systems-related research problems related to the autonomous operation of networked machines.

Departments in this area

Department of Computer Science

We are an internationally-oriented community and home to world-class research in modern computer science.

MS

Department of Mathematics and Systems Analysis

Our main research areas are algebra and discrete mathematics, analysis, applied mathematics and mechanics, stochastics and statistics, and systems analysis and operations research.

Aalto University / Aalto satellite / photo: Mikko Raskinen

Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering

Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering (ELE) conducts research and arranges related teaching courses in the fields of electromagnetics, micro and nanotechnology, radio engineering, and space technology.

 Äänen viivettä on tutkittu Suomen hiljaisimmassa huoneessa Otaniemessä sijaitsevassa kaiuttomassa huoneessa.  Kuva: Aalto-yliopisto / Mikko Raskinen

Department of Information and Communications Engineering

The department of Information and Communications Engineering has a strong focus in the ICT area varying from ICT technology to core electrical engineering and its basic phenomena.

Key research area contact

Jussi Nissilä

Manager, Digitalisation and AI Key Research Area, Aalto Networking Platform
  • Updated:
  • Published:
Share
URL copied!