The Norwegian Research Center for AI Innovation (NorwAI) is the largest academic initiative on AI innovation in Norway. Hosted at NTNU in Trondheim, the center coordinates research and innovation activities among three universities, two research institutes and 11 companies. With its long and impressive history of research on Big Data and AI and its experience with commercializing these technologies, NTNU is well positioned to lead this center of research-based innovation (SFI). Some of the largest and technologically most ambitious companies and research institutes in Norway have joined the consortium and promise to turn the center into a real powerhouse for AI-driven industrial innovation.