SKF commits to a sovereign AI future through strategic partnership with Sferical AI

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SKF commits to joining Sferical AI – a company co-founded by AstraZeneca, Ericsson, Saab, SEB and Wallenberg Investments – as a strategic compute partner. By securing dedicated capacity on one of Sweden’s most powerful sovereign AI supercomputers, SKF accelerates the deployment of industrial AI at scale while ensuring that sensitive data such as engineering information, proprietary design models and advanced simulation workloads remains protected within the European industrial ecosystem.

“AI is reshaping what industrial leadership means. For us, being part of Sweden’s sovereign AI backbone is not just a technology decision. It is about redefining our future with a focus on security, sustainability and long-term industrial competitiveness,” says Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO, SKF.

The partnership complements SKF’s existing cloud strategy and is focused on R&D and capability developments. As a buyer-participant, SKF will enable high-performance and innovation-critical AI workloads in areas such as predictive maintenance, quality control, tribology-informed machine learning, R&D, engineering optimisation and next-generation digital products.

“SKF has a long tradition of engineering expertise and innovation, and we look forward to supporting their continued journey in AI-driven industry. For us, the collaboration is not only about computing capacity, but about working together, sharing knowledge, and ultimately accelerating the application of AI,” says Jenny Nordlöw, CEO, Sferical AI.

“AI is essential for industrial innovation, and it must be built on the right foundation. By joining Sferical AI, we secure sovereign, high-performance compute in Sweden, supporting faster progress and protecting our intellectual property built over our 125-year history. This partnership reinforces our technology strategy, ensuring AI development reflects SKF’s values of security, responsibility and competitiveness,” says Annika Ölme, Chief Technology Officer, SKF.

SKF’s participation in Sferical AI reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to collaboration, innovation and competitiveness within Sweden’s industrial ecosystem. Together with its partners, SKF aims to advance capabilities needed to accelerate R&D, strengthen operational performance and deliver enhanced value to customers.

Aktiebolaget SKF
      (publ)

For further information, please contact:
Technology communications: Aparna Srivastava, +46 707 576 468; aparna.srivastava@skf.com
Press Relations: Carl Bjernstam, +46 31-337 2517; +46 722 201 893; carl.bjernstam@skf.com
Investor Relations: Sophie Arnius, +46 31-337 8072; +46 705 908 072; sophie.arnius@skf.com

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SOURCE SKF