Why Read: While the landscape of global technology changes by the minute, it's hard to miss the long-term trend of the Nordic countries excelling at technology. Finland, Sweden, the Baltics, Denmark - even the Netherlands - are all stepping up their tech game.

Within this geographical growth segment, it's a bit easier to miss the roles of the two northern islands in the region - Ireland and Iceland - partly because they are so different, but also because of their great similarities. Last week, I had a chance to revisit both, and I came away even more impressed than in the past. In this issue, I'll explain what the bigger economies are missing out on. - mra

Small Is Beautiful

Most Americans, and citizens of other large countries, think of themselves, based on total population size and money, as having an edge. And, of course, that's true, if wisely governed. But what if, say, their country is in the midst of a tulip craze, spending trillions on broken, dangerous software? Is it possible that size, in that (this) chapter of industrial history, is the opposite of what Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang claimed last week: that those not participating are in fact notthe losers in the AI race, but are rather the winners in the larger Beyond LLMrace?

At this point, I will confess a small conceit to SNS members: the story I'm about to tell has not quite happened yet - but that's our charter here at SNS. So, this issue is about the real tech winners in the world in the next few years - or, if you like, who the winners in the "next-generation AI/ML (machine learning) platform" race are likely to be.

Marc Andreessen, a friend and the co-founder of the best-known VC firm in the world - a16z - seems to be writing constantly these days. Marc is famous for several aphorisms, including "Software eats the world" (although today, the reverse - "LLMs eat software" and "Hardware is a better bet" - seem to be in favor). Recently, he issued the edict to young entrepreneurs: "To succeed, you have to live here" [in the Valley or San Francisco].

But again, the reverse might also be true: if you want to "think different," as Steve Jobs said in his most famous Apple commercial, the Valley as it is today may be the last place for you.

On a global scale, it is clear that the EU has become wary of, if not outright antagonistic to, big tech companies from the US, as illustrated by the billions of dollars in fines levied recently and a strong sovereignty movement in software and data storage and handling.

To be fair, there are strong arguments in favor of these actions, given the essentially unregulated state of the lobbyist-driven compliance situation in the US; the word "lawless" leaps to mind, in this comparison with the EU's passage of the Artificial Intelligence Act, the GDPR, and the Digital Services Act. While the US has done little or nothing to manage AI risk and/or monopoly behavior (see "Upgrades"), the EU has become a global leader in the effort.

As we lay the political, technical, and legal foundations for our look at the northern islands, there is one more country we need to mention:

China

China's role in copying innovations and stealing intellectual property (IP) on a global scale cannot be ignored in questions of how AI, LLMs, etc., will affect global power balance and economics. At the moment, as the US resists this ongoing IP theft, China is busy gutting the EU economically. Just ask Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume (or Kjell Gruner, the just-fired head of the US division) how it's going with losing China revenues while shutting several home plants down and firing 100,000 employees, 50,000 at a time.

As China works its model to put all of the foundational AI firms in the West out of business (see SNS: "Conflating an AI Race with a Massive Economic Attack," 8/2/26), the combined effects in the EU of all of these attack types was, and remains, predictable. It cannot be easy for EU members to be dealing with the mutual pressures of Trump and US-unregulated Big Tech firms vs. Xi and weaponized copycats from China.

And now for a look at why the northern islands have caught our interest.

Eire

Most people likely think of Ireland for its beauty, culture, music, and poetry, perhaps flavored by a frothy Guinness or a good peaty whisky. Even those in business probably think of Ireland first for its tax advantages, which are real.

But to understand Ireland in true economic terms, I recommend the FiReBooks-published title How to Change the Future: Lessons from Ireland on Revolutionizing Scientific Innovation and Economic Prosperity, by SNS members William Harris and Pete Mackey. Bill was the person directly responsible for creating and leading Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), which was a key partner in turning the island nation into a Tiger.

Here are a few facts members may be surprised to learn:

Ireland's GDP per capita ($130k) is higher than that of the US ($90k).

Ireland's 2025 GDP growth was 8% vs. 2.2% for the US.

And if you thought the UK was in better shape, well - here's GDP per capita, from 1961 to 2020, for both:

And here (see chart in "Upgrades") is a rather complete data comparison between Ireland and the US:

https://countryeconomy.com/countries/compare/ireland/usa

Ireland's nominal GDP per capita is second in the EU only to Luxembourg's and is among the top 3-5 in the world (according to the World Bank).

OK, now we have your attention -

The combination of programs and policies brought together to make this "Irish Miracle" happen included a team approach among parties, whole of government, universities, incentives, quality improvements in research on a global scale, and more. Researchers of the first order were invited in from around the world, and many came.

But above all, and making all of it possible, was the fact that you could have a meeting on Monday with those who were tasked with action affecting your business and have a result by Wednesday. In the US - or Brussels - not so much.

It is no secret that much of this economic success has come from US firms locating their EU headquarters and/or IP-generation activities in Ireland for tax purposes, particularly those with a special focus on compute, pharma, and medical devices.

Well played, as we say at SNS.

The point of this thread of thought is as simple as it is complex: the gift of being small has allowed the country to work better, do more, do it faster, and pivot as needed, to achieve world-class economic goals.

For the second half of 2026, Ireland is also president of the Council of the EU, with core priorities including economic competitiveness, artificial intelligence, copyright rules, and EU security (according to the European Council).

Yes, AI.

While on this recent trip, as the chair and CEO of Pattern Inc. - and thanks in great part to our advisory board member Barry O'Sullivan and to past Cabinet minister and Tánaiste Mary Harney - I had the privilege of meeting with AI experts from the University College Cork, the University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, and the University of Limerick, as well as representatives of the government past and present and of business.

All in two days.

My intent with these meetings was to see if Pattern could bring our next-generation AI/ML platform, in the form of PatternDE (the online version of our Pattern Discovery Engine™), to Ireland. Under the program title of "Discovery Ireland," the answer so far would appear to be an enthusiastic "Yes."

Is it possible that by doing this together, we could measurably improve the quality of scientific discoveries and business efficiency on a national scale, in a way that would economically boost the country of Ireland? Our enthusiastic answer is "Yes."

The project is in its early stages, but it is moving quickly, so the last thing we want to do is overpromise or oversell it - but we have every desire and intention of doing exactly that. Other than our own confidence in Pattern (which the US Department of Energy AI committee calls "the best ML company on the planet"), why do we think this is possible? Because it's Ireland.