Representing AI:AT were Thomas Mayerhofer, Head of Innovation Center, and Linus Ersing, AI Ecosystem & Partnerships Manager. The conference brought together representatives from research, industry, public institutions, AI initiatives, and the European HPC ecosystem to discuss the future of AI, digital infrastructure, and technological sovereignty in Europe.

MIPRO 2026 provided an important platform for exchange on the role of AI and high-performance computing in Europe’s transition towards a more intelligent, resilient, and competitive economy. In particular, the Economic AI and HPC Forum addressed how AI factories, AI antennas, and HPC infrastructure can support the development, validation, and scaling of AI solutions across sectors and borders.

AI:AT contributed to the conference with a presentation on the AI Factory Austria and its role in the European AI and HPC ecosystem. The presentation focused on coordinated HPC and AI ecosystems across Europe, cross-border value chains, and the role of AI Factories and AI Antennas in enabling access to infrastructure, expertise, and trusted AI environments. Key focus areas included sectoral value chains in manufacturing, healthcare, energy, mobility, and finance, as well as the role of SMEs and scale-ups as multipliers for AI adoption.

A central topic of discussion was how European AI initiatives can move beyond fragmented offerings and build stronger mechanisms for collaboration. AI:AT highlighted the importance of identifying ecosystem gaps, sharing best practices for cross-border cooperation, and developing frameworks for interoperability between AI Factories, Antennas, infrastructure providers, research institutions, and industry partners.

The event also offered valuable opportunities for bilateral exchange and networking. It was a particular honour to exchange with Anders Dam Jensen, Executive Director of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking. AI:AT also connected with representatives from several other AI Factories and related initiatives, including JUPITER AI Factory in Germany, Antennas from from North Macedonia (Vesilka) and Iceland (AIFA-ICE), SLAIF in Slovenia, and 1HealthAI in Spain.

The discussions confirmed the importance of building practical, cross-border collaboration models that connect infrastructure, applied expertise, and real economic demand. For AI:AT, the conference provided valuable insights into how other European initiatives approach ecosystem coordination, AI adoption, and HPC access, and how these efforts can be aligned more effectively in the future.

Participation in MIPRO 2026 strongly aligned with AI:AT’s mission to support the effective and trustworthy use of AI through sovereign infrastructure, hands-on expertise, enablement, and a strong ecosystem of research, startups, industry, and public institutions. Events such as MIPRO are important because they create the space for European actors to coordinate, learn from each other, and jointly shape the next phase of AI adoption in Europe.

AI:AT would like to thank Karolj Skala and the entire MIPRO team for organising this valuable event and for creating a platform that brings together the European AI and HPC community.