APREX · EST. 2026
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Norway has built itself into a world-class tech nation – but in the field that perhaps matters most for future competitiveness, artificial intelligence, the country still lags. This was one of the most striking messages from this year's TEK Conference, organized by the industry association TEK Norway.
Tech Industry on Par with Oil
The so-called TEK Pulse – a major survey of the Norwegian tech industry – showed that the sector is now considered as large as the oil industry in terms of value creation. This is a historic shift in Norwegian business, and should, in principle, give the tech industry the leverage to set the premises for Norwegian AI policy.
However, the picture is not unequivocally positive. According to what was presented at the conference, and TEK Norway's own reporting, Norway consistently ranks last among the Nordic countries when it comes to artificial intelligence – whether it concerns public sector adoption, the impact of research environments, or the industry's use of AI in products and services.
Norway is not a small country with few resources – we are a rich country with weak implementation power in AI.
Sweden and Denmark Outpace Us
Comparing the Nordic AI strategies, the pattern is clear. Sweden updated its national AI strategy as recently as February 2026, with an explicit goal of being among the world's ten leading AI nations, according to research reviews of the Nordic countries' strategies. Denmark's strategy from 2019 was followed up with a dedicated “Digital Artificial Intelligence Taskforce” and hundreds of millions of kroner in earmarked AI research funds.
Norway launched its national AI strategy in January 2020, focusing on ethics, data security, and sectors such as health, energy, and the ocean industry. The state has invested the equivalent of 90 million euros – around 1.1 billion Norwegian kroner – in digital and AI transformation, and in 2023, at least one billion Norwegian kroner was announced for four to six new AI research centers.
The Money Is There – Implementation Is Lacking
The criticism raised at the conference is not primarily about a lack of money or strategy. Norway has both the funds and the plans. The problem appears to lie in the speed of implementation and coordination.
The other Nordic countries operate with more concrete objectives and closer follow-up of results. Denmark is explicitly working to roll out AI solutions in the public sector on a large scale. Sweden has a measurable international ranking goal. Finland invested early in massive population competence.
Norway, on the other hand, has a broad strategic framework, but the industry community calls for clearer priorities and faster implementation.
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A Nordic Resource Not Utilized
Researchers and analysts who have compared the Nordic countries' AI strategies point out that the Nordics collectively possess unique advantages: clean and scalable energy, high digital infrastructure, open data systems, and strong research environments. However, the countries do not coordinate well enough, which could weaken their collective competitiveness against the USA, China, and the UK.
For Norway, this is particularly paradoxical. The country has surplus energy, making it an attractive location for data centers and AI infrastructure, and has a tech industry of a size not always associated with a country of five million inhabitants.
What Is Needed?
The TEK Conference did not provide a simple answer, but the signals from the industry are clear: faster decision-making processes, clearer accountability for public enterprises that are to adopt AI, and stronger links between research environments and the business sector are needed.
The fact that the tech industry is now on par with oil gives the industry new weight in public debate. The question is whether this weight will also translate into political leverage for a more ambitious AI policy – or if Norway will remain last in the Nordics at the next TEK Conference as well.