The path to powerful AI begins with the right infrastructure. This panel explores how Europe is laying the groundwork for data-driven innovation through the cloud-edge continuum—in the context of the 8ra Initiative. Speakers:tbd Moderation: Emma Wehrwein, FACIS Project Lead | eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V.

Data centers are the invisible backbone of the German economy and the indispensable driving force behind the current AI revolution. Yet while the federal government’s new data center strategy and regional initiatives are setting the course, the industry finds itself caught between ambitious climate targets (EnEfG), sluggish permitting processes, and a massive demand for stable energy sources. Together with experts from the eco Alliance for Strengthening Digital Infrastructures, we will discuss how national and regional strategies must now be integrated to keep Germany competitive on the global stage despite regulatory hurdles. Learn firsthand what steps need to be taken now to ensure that Germany not only consumes data but also actively shapes the digital transformation. Confirmed panelists:

• Murat Turgut, NorthC Datacenters
• Axel Schumann, envia TEL
• Volker Ludwig, Digital Realty
• Bernhard Göth, noris network

Moderation: Roland Broch, eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V.

By 2026, digital sovereignty will evolve from a political guiding principle into a core strategic requirement for businesses, government agencies, and operators of critical infrastructure. Faced with growing geopolitical pressure, increasing regulation, and rising dependence on global platforms, organizations must realign their IT, cloud, and security strategies. The discussion explores what digital sovereignty means in practice—covering data sovereignty, cloud dependencies, open source, and resilient digital ecosystems. The focus is on concrete experiences from transformation and cloud projects, as well as on how to realistically resolve conflicting priorities between compliance, cost-effectiveness, and innovation. Confirmed panelists:

• Holger Nicolay, firstcolo Datacenters GmbH
• Adrian Stiller, nexspace data centers
• Peter Höhn, plusserver GmbH

Moderation: Olaf Pursche, eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V.

Whether in the SME sector, the public sector, or critical infrastructure: Today, digital applications require more than just bandwidth. The panel will discuss the current state of edge computing in Germany, the opportunities and business models it presents, and why issues such as resilience, sustainability, sovereignty, and AI are reshaping the infrastructure debate. Confirmed panelists:

• Dr. Martin Leipziger, HLkomm Telekommunikations GmbH
• Florian Kritzler, nLighten Deutschland

Moderation: Raphael Schmieder, eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V.

In light of increasing power densities and stricter regulatory requirements, technological innovation is no longer an end in itself, but rather a prerequisite for a sustainable data center location. In this panel discussion, leading technology innovators will explore how synergistic approaches—combining intelligent thermal storage, highly specialized security concepts for modern battery storage systems, and highly efficient air handling technology—are pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Going beyond mere product presentations, we explore the strategic role of innovation ecosystems as drivers of digital sovereignty and competitiveness in the German economy. Discover how visionary research approaches and engineering expertise are shaping the reliable standards for the next generation of sustainable, high-performance infrastructure. Confirmed panelists:

• Anne Omar, FOGTEC Fire Protection
• Christoph Thomas, Zerocool-Energy

Moderation: Roland Broch, eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V.

LEAM/CESAI is a project initiative aimed at developing industry-specific AI models based on leaner GenAI foundation models and fine-tuning them specifically with industry data (e.g., CAD/CAM, engineering, and process data from the chemical industry). This makes training and inference more resource-efficient and ensures that the models are better suited to the specific requirements of specialized industries. The interactive workshop will be co-moderated by Christian Schmitz (CEO of LEAM), Michael Hase (Project Manager at EuroCloud Deutschland_eco e.V.), and Hauke Timmermann (Head of Digital Business Models at eco - Association of the Internet Industry e.V.). The focus will be on practical use cases, data access & governance/IP, and the role of edge and inference networks in ensuring low latency, reliability, and trustworthiness. Confirmed panelists:

• • Michael Hase, EuroCloud Deutschland_eco e.V., Projektmanager
• Christian Schmitz, LEAM, CEO

Moderation: • Hauke Timmermann, eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V., Leiter Digitale Geschäftsmodelle