The Gaia-X Summit 2024, held on November 14–15 in Helsinki, provided a premier opportunity to actively shape Europe’s digital transformation. With a diverse program ranging from high-profile keynotes and panels to hands-on use case demonstrations, we gained valuable insights and established new partnerships.

Day 1: Focus on Vision and Technical Foundations

The first day began with inspiring keynotes delivered by leading European voices from politics and business. A standout moment was the speech by Pearse O’Donohue, Director of DG CNECT at the European Commission, who emphasized the importance of global collaboration and interoperability for the future of data ecosystems.

The presentation of the Gaia-X Roadmap 2025 by Ulrich Ahle, CEO of Gaia-X, further underscored the strategic direction: building an interoperable, secure, and trustworthy digital infrastructure for Europe.

In parallel, the Tech Theater offered deeper insights into the technical foundations of Gaia-X, such as “Securely sharing credentials with OpenID for Verifiable Credentials (OID4VC).” These sessions were particularly relevant for advancing the technology and interoperability of our data spaces in Austria.

Day 2: Focus on Hubs and International Collaboration

The second day was particularly significant for us as a Hub. In the panel “Gaia-X Hubs Focus: National Data Strategy, Market Impact, and Sustainable Growth,” our representative Helmut Leopold (AIT) had the opportunity to showcase the progress of the Gaia-X Hub Austria. The discussion highlighted the importance of tailoring Gaia-X standards at the national level to meet sector-specific requirements and drive sustainable market development.

Another highlight was the session on Nordic-Baltic Perspectives, which presented innovative approaches to integrating public and private data spaces—an inspiration for future developments in Austria.

Networking and Expo

Networking breaks and the Expo offered valuable opportunities to engage with other Hubs, partners, and companies. The use case testimonials on the first day and presentations at the Partners Theater on the second day provided concrete examples of how Gaia-X standards can be successfully implemented in real-world projects.

Conclusion: Collaboration as the Key

The Gaia-X Summit 2024 impressively showcased Gaia-X’s role as a catalyst for data-driven innovation in Europe. For the Gaia-X Hub Austria, the event was a resounding success. We will leverage the insights gained to further advance our national initiatives and realize the vision of a sovereign European data infrastructure.

We thank all partners and participants and look forward to continuing to build on these synergies!