Progress in Implementing the European Union Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence (Volume 1): Hungary
Table of contents
The European Union (EU) Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a strategic initiative by the European Commission and EU Member States to promote AI development, investment and co-operation. In 2024, the OECD conducted a survey and interviews to take stock of implementation progress made by the EU Member States in implementing the actions set in the EU Coordinated Plan on AI. Drawing on the information collected, the OECD prepared country notes for each EU Member State. This document presents the country note for Hungary, which summarises key initiatives and implementation progress.
Evolving artificial intelligence (AI) strategy and governance: Hungary’s AI strategy, launched in 2020, was under review at the time of writing to further align it with recent advancements in AI, with an emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) support and interministerial co‑operation.
Focus on building high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities: Hungary is advancing its HPC infrastructure to support AI research and development (R&D). Key projects include the installation of the 6-petaflop Komondor supercomputer and the upcoming Levente, expected to provide 20 petaflops.
Support for AI adoption in SMEs: Initiatives such as the AI European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) and the Technology Voucher Programme are designed to encourage AI uptake among SMEs. These programmes provide financial and advisory support to help Hungarian SMEs integrate AI solutions into their operations, promoting digital transformation across the economy.
Limited sectoral AI adoption beyond healthcare: While Hungary has made notable progress in applying AI in healthcare, adoption in other key sectors – including mobility, agriculture, climate and the public sector – remains limited. Most initiatives are early-stage, infrastructure-focused or embedded within broader digitalisation efforts.
Hungary’s national AI strategy, launched in 2020, sets a vision for advancing AI from 2020 to 2030 (Government of Hungary, 2020[1]).The strategy is organised around three pillars:
1. Building essential foundations: This pillar emphasises setting up a data-driven economy, enhancing R&D infrastructure, fostering AI skills, developing HPC and creating a robust regulatory and ethical framework.
2. Focusing on sector-specific applications: This pillar targets AI integration within key sectors, including manufacturing, mobility, healthcare, agriculture and public administration.
3. Implementing transformative programmes: This pillar includes end-user-focused initiatives, such as advancements in autonomous vehicles and AI-powered customer services.
Hungary’s AI strategy is integrated within existing sectoral programmes, with no standalone budget allocation. These sectoral programmes rely on both domestic and European Union (EU) funds to support the implementation of AI-related measures across various domains.
At the time of writing, the strategy was being reviewed process to address rapid advancements in AI. This review seeks to retain the original strategy’s objectives while updating certain initiatives, with an increased focus on SME AI adoption, including awareness raising and funding support.
The Ministry for National Economy, the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, and the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister are the key entities overseeing AI governance. Since 2019, ministries have engaged in informal co‑operation during the strategy’s development. This has since been formalised with the establishment of an official Artificial Intelligence Working Group under the National Tax and Customs Administration’s Technology Group, which now co‑ordinates AI efforts. Additionally, a new institutional framework is being developed to guide the implementation of the EU AI Act and strengthen interministerial collaboration.
Hungary’s AI Coalition, established in 2018, serves as the central platform for connecting public and private AI stakeholders. It brings together members from the public sector, private companies and academia, facilitating collaboration on AI initiatives and policy. As of mid-2024, the coalition comprises 478 member organisations, underscoring Hungary’s commitment to a co‑operative AI ecosystem (NTP, 2024[2]).
Hungary does not have a dedicated data strategy. However, the country’s national AI strategy includes several measures regarding data. Hungary is also strengthening its AI and computing infrastructure through targeted investments in cloud-based AI solutions, HPC and specialised platforms for advanced research. These initiatives aim to enhance computational resources for universities, research institutions and innovative businesses, fostering a collaborative environment for AI R&D.
Hungary is seeking to strengthen its AI innovation ecosystem by providing targeted support to SMEs and start-ups. Through initiatives such as technology vouchers, an AI digital innovation hub and specialised laboratories, Hungary aims to facilitate AI adoption across key industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture and logistics. These efforts are designed to enhance digital readiness and promote AI-driven solutions.
Hungary has begun implementing initiatives aimed at cultivating AI talent and enhancing the skills required to support a robust AI ecosystem. While these efforts mark an important step toward building AI literacy and capability, Hungary’s approach remains relatively early-stage.
Launched under Hungary’s national AI strategy, the AI Challenge is a nationwide public awareness initiative aimed at increasing AI literacy among the general population. It serves as a foundational component of Hungary’s broader effort to prepare society for the digital age by demystifying AI and making its core concepts accessible to all.
Key objectives and features:
Widespread engagement: In 2022, the AI Challenge has reached more than 4.5 million individuals, with over 120 000 participants successfully completing the initial test module. The programme targets a broad audience – from students to professionals – to ensure a wide baseline understanding of AI.
Introductory, low-barrier format: Designed as an entry-level awareness programme, the AI Challenge introduces key concepts in AI in a simple and engaging format, making it accessible regardless of participants’ prior technical knowledge.
Part of a larger ecosystem: The AI Challenge is embedded within the AI Academy platform, which offers additional online learning opportunities and serves as a knowledge hub for AI education in Hungary.
Future development: A second phase of the programme is under development, featuring updated content and an expanded scope to engage an even broader segment of the population with AI-related skills and awareness.
Source: AI Coalition (2024[9]), AI Challenge, https://ai-hungary.com/hu/tartalom/mi-akademia/ertsd-meg#kihivas, accessed on 14 November 2024.
Hungary is beginning to integrate AI into key sectors as part of its broader digital transformation agenda, though the level of activity varies significantly across domains. In climate and the environment, a major initiative is underway to establish a centralised energy data centre that will use AI to support grid planning and enable the integration of renewable sources. The healthcare sector is more active, with several digital initiatives incorporating AI or laying the groundwork for AI-enabled services (see following section). In mobility, Hungary has invested in infrastructure to support AI-based vehicle technologies, most notably through the ZalaZONE test track for autonomous and connected vehicles. In contrast, AI uptake in the public sector remains limited, with no dedicated initiatives reported to date. In agriculture, AI is not the primary focus but is seen as a potential enabler within a broader digitalisation push, supported by multiple strategic frameworks. Overall, Hungary’s sectoral engagement with AI is still nascent, with more activity in infrastructure and digital readiness than in fully developed AI deployments.
Since the Health Data Act of 1997, Hungary has prioritised healthcare innovation and data security, which are central to the National eHealth Infrastructure (EESZT). Launched in 2017, the EESZT collects health data from healthcare providers and hospitals and ensures secure data access for end users via electronic identification. It allows researchers to use anonymised data to innovate, with privacy safeguarded through an opt-out mechanism (EESZT, 2024[10]). The National Health Informatics Strategy, released in 2021, aims to address these needs, emphasising interoperability, centralised data management and workforce upskilling (Donelle et al., 2023[11]). This accelerates AI innovation by creating datasets necessary to train AI models, providing developers with access to datasets to create their AI models, and equipping the workforce to implement their innovations (Zorkóczy, 2023[12]). The Healthy Hungary 2021-2027 strategy echoes these priorities, recognising e-health governance to support data-driven decisions (Government of Hungary, 2021[13]). The National Digitalisation Strategy 2022-2030 also aligns with these goals, prioritising digitalisation and skill development across public sectors, including health (Government of Hungary, 2022[14]; Döbrössy, Girasek and Győrffy, 2024[15]). The alignment of these strategies demonstrates Hungary’s strong national co‑ordination, which, consistent with its centralised health system structure, will be an asset to its AI in health development.
Despite advancement, interoperability between healthcare data systems remains a major challenge, hindering seamless data exchange. Efforts to improve interoperability include standardising data formats, protocols and interfaces, such as the planned introduction of SNOMED CT for standardising documentation to enhance interoperability and the development of a national electronic health record reference model to facilitate health data exchange (SNOMED International, 2024[16]; Towards European Health Data Space, 2023[17]). The National Health Insurance Fund is leading initiatives to enhance data interoperability, encourage collaboration and address technical barriers, though they have reported challenges in meeting data requests due to the need for upskilling staff (Towards European Health Data Space, 2023[17]). Hungary is also prioritising secondary data use through initiatives such as the Towards a European Health Data Space (Towards European Health Data Space, 2023[17]). The country is also facilitating international health data exchange: starting in January 2026, Hungary’s EESZT will grant case-by-case access to health data for AI development (Bíró and Laczkó, 2024[18]; medicalonline Hungary, 2024[19]). Hungary’s AI strategy for health (2020-2030) positions the Ministry of Human Capacities as the co‑ordinator of AI initiatives in healthcare, focusing on integrating AI for more accurate diagnostics, enhancing treatment efficiency and using data-driven approaches to develop AI-powered medical decision making, devices and services, while ensuring secure data management and privacy in line with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Government of Hungary, 2020[1]). It emphasises the responsible use of health data, promotes AI innovation and aims to expand AI applications in healthcare, fostering public awareness and trust in digital health technologies (OECD.AI, 2024[20]).
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The full book is available in English: OECD (2025), Progress in Implementing the European Union Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence (Volume 1): Member States’ Actions, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/533c355d-en.
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