The United States and Finland signed a nonbinding Technology Prosperity Deal in Washington on Oct. 29, setting a broad technology agenda without requiring either government to spend money.
The memorandum of understanding creates no binding legal duties and includes no spending commitment from either side. Its areas of cooperation include artificial intelligence, telecommunications, quantum technology, advanced semiconductors, energy, space, biotechnology, defense innovation, research security, shipbuilding and Arctic technology.
The governments describe goals that include industrial collaboration, technology deployment, secure supply chains and exports of trusted technologies to third-country markets. Other workstreams include quantum supply chains and commercialization, small modular reactors, geothermal and fusion technologies, energy storage and space cooperation.
For Arctic work, the MOU connects Finnish expertise with plans to modernize the U.S. icebreaker fleet through ICE Pact. It also expresses an intention to invest jointly in enabling technologies, but specifies no investment amount.
Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs said a separate Critical Minerals Framework document was also signed in Washington on Oct. 29. The ministry identified Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen as Finland’s signatory to the technology deal. Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto said, “The TPD will further expand our long-standing cooperation.”
The countries intend to use a Joint Committee Meeting mechanism to implement the agreement, with their science and technology accord signed May 16, 1995, available where appropriate. The MOU took effect on the date of the final signature. Either government may discontinue it by written notice, with discontinuation expected to begin 180 days after delivery.
For telecommunications, the governments intend to expand 5G and 6G research and development and coordinate on international standards. The MOU names the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), its 2026 Plenipotentiary Conference, the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference and industry partnership through 3GPP as part of that work.
