Connect | Southern Europe // AI Data Center Impact Forum

10:15 — 11:00

Panel: What design & construction decisions determine whether a data center will be future-proof?

As data centers continue to evolve at a rapid pace, design and construction decisions play a critical role in ensuring long-term efficiency, scalability and adaptability. This panel brings together industry experts to explore the key factors that determine whether a data center can remain future-proof in the face of changing technologies, sustainability requirements and business demands. From site selection and energy efficiency strategies to modular design and innovative cooling solutions, our speakers will provide insights into the best practices for building resilient, forward-looking facilities.

Speakers: Wilbert Velásquez, Vaultica Data Centers; Paulo Costa, AtlasEdge Portugal; Adriano Galano, HPE.

11:30 — 12:00

Keynote: The rise of AI and the need for data centre sustainability

Digital tech has become the hottest topic in energy, and energy has become the hottest topic in the digital world. Digital technologies, including AI, are revolutionizing energy systems. At the same time, data centers and other digital/AI systems are energy-intensive. We will need energy breakthroughs. How can companies, customers, societies, and governments navigate these dynamics?

Speaker: Rod Evans, Nvidia.

11:00 — 11:30

Coffee Break

12:05 — 12:50

Panel: Do sustainability goals align with large-scale AI initiatives?

The rapid expansion of large-scale AI initiatives is placing growing pressure on energy resources, infrastructure planning and environmental commitments. This panel explores whether sustainability goals can truly align with the scale and intensity required to support AI-driven growth, and how the industry is responding to these competing demands.

Experts from across the data center and AI ecosystem will share perspectives on balancing innovation with responsibility, addressing topics such as renewable energy integration, efficiency gains, advanced cooling solutions and evolving regulatory frameworks. The discussion will offer practical insights and real-world examples on how organizations can pursue AI ambition while maintaining credible sustainability strategies.

Speakers: Cosmin Georgescu, ClusterPower; Pedro Muñoz, Global Switch; Sinead O’Donnel, AWS; Alberto Petermann, Start Campus.

13:00 - 14:00

Lunch

14:00 — 14:30

Keynote: Power, Compute and Control in the age of AI

Speaker: Eva García,  Nscale.

14h35 — 15h20

Panel: Scaling compute, storage and networking - Can Southern Europe keep up?

The accelerating demand for AI, cloud services, and high-performance computing is pushing data center infrastructure to new limits. This panel examines whether Southern Europe has the capacity, connectivity and investment readiness to scale compute, storage and networking fast enough to meet growing regional and global demand. Through expert insights and real-world case studies, the session will assess the challenges and opportunities facing Southern Europe as it positions itself as a strategic hub in the global digital infrastructure landscape.

Speakers: Julio Sola, GPU Solutions; Emmanuel Becker, Mediterra Datacenters; César Blanco García, Clúster Big Data & IA Madrid; Rui Franco, REN Telecom.

15h25 — 16h10

Panel: The AI-powered data center - Are we ready for fully autonomous operations?

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how data centers are designed, managed and operated. This panel explores the readiness of the industry to move toward AI-driven, fully autonomous data center operations, examining both the technological capabilities and organizational changes required to make this vision a reality.

Panelists will share perspectives on the role of AI in predictive maintenance, energy optimization, security and operational resilience, while also addressing risks, trust and human oversight. The discussion will provide a realistic view of how close the industry is to autonomous operations and what steps must be taken to safely and effectively get there.

Speakers: Radu Toncu, ClusterPower; Bojan Klasan, A1 Hrvatska; Xavier Randolet, NTT Global Data Centers; Elliot Zounon, CBRE.