Europe is becoming a hub for AI infrastructure discussions, with conferences addressing pressing challenges like energy usage, scalability, and sovereignty in AI systems. These events bring together experts, investors, and developers to tackle topics such as high-performance computing, sovereign cloud architectures, and energy-efficient solutions. Here's a quick look at some of the key conferences happening in 2026:
- RAISE Summit (Paris, 8–9 July 2026): A large-scale event with over 9,000 attendees, focusing on strategy, innovation, and sustainability. Includes networking opportunities, startup competitions, and exclusive forums. Tickets range from €599 to €3,499.
- AI Infrastructure Summit Europe (Munich, 16–17 March 2026): Aimed at IT and AI practitioners, with 124+ sessions covering topics like multi-cloud strategies and inference optimization. Tickets start at €2,549.
- infra/CAPITAL Summit (Paris, 15–16 April 2026): Targets investors and hyperscale leaders, focusing on site strategy, regulatory compliance, and risk management.
- PyTorch Conference Europe (Paris, 7–8 April 2026): Tailored for developers, covering topics like framework internals, compliance, and optimization.
- GITEX AI Europe (Berlin, 30 June – 1 July 2026): Europe’s largest tech exhibition, offering tracks on AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technologies.
Key Themes Across Events
- Energy Use: Solutions like liquid cooling and renewable energy integration are highlighted to address AI's growing energy demands.
- Sovereignty: Discussions focus on creating EU-based infrastructure to reduce reliance on non-European providers.
- Scalability: Transforming data centers into "AI factories" with advanced GPU clusters and high-bandwidth systems.
These conferences provide actionable insights and networking opportunities for professionals shaping the future of AI infrastructure in Europe.
Sovereign AI Infrastructure Building a Secure and Scalable Ecosystem
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Major AI Infrastructure Conferences in Europe
Europe hosts a variety of specialized events that bring together infrastructure professionals, investors, and developers to address the technical and strategic hurdles of scaling AI. These conferences cater to different audiences, from executives managing resources to developers refining deployment strategies. Here's a closer look at some of the key events.
RAISE Summit (Paris, 8–9 July 2026)
Held at Le Carrousel du Louvre, the RAISE Summit gathers over 9,000 attendees, 2,000 companies, and 350+ speakers [5]. With 80% of participants being executives and founders, the event is a hotspot for strategic networking and deal-making [8].
The summit is divided into four tracks: Foundation (capital and infrastructure), Frontier (innovation), Friction (regulation and ROI), and Future (AGI and sustainability) [5]. Key topics include the Energy-Compute Nexus, Sovereign Cloud, and Agentic Systems & Autonomous Intelligence [5]. Highlights include a €5 million startup competition and a global hackathon with €200,000 in prizes, attracting over 8,000 hybrid participants [5]. Exclusive dinners, private forums, and targeted hackathons further enhance the experience [5][8].
Tickets range from €599 for validated startups and developers to €3,499 for the VIP MAX pass, which includes perks like an exclusive dinner in Paris and access to a VIP lounge. Mike Mattacola, GM International at CoreWeave, shared his enthusiasm:
Amazing people, great vibe, and it is something Europe needs badly. We need everyone to get together in Europe more often and focus on how we can accelerate AI
[5].
AI Infrastructure Summit Europe (Munich, 16–17 March 2026)
This event brings together 500+ AI and IT infrastructure experts for 124+ sessions focused on scalable and secure AI systems [1][2]. Tracks cover practical topics like AgentOps, multi-cloud strategies, and inference optimization for latency-critical applications [2].
The summit is co-located with the Enterprise AI Summit, Big Data Minds, and Business Intelligence Minds, offering attendees a comprehensive view of the entire data-to-infrastructure pipeline [1]. 86% of attendees come to explore new technologies, services, and products. Ticket prices range from €2,549 for a standard pass to €3,249 for an all-inclusive pass [1].
infra/CAPITAL Summit (Paris, 15–16 April 2026)
Hosted at the Kimpton St Honoré, this event targets investors, lenders, and data center operators focusing on power strategy, regulatory compliance, and risk management [4][6]. A key feature is the opportunity for one-on-one meetings with industry analysts, providing actionable market intelligence [6].
Philbert Shih, Managing Director at Structure Research, highlighted the summit's purpose:
We established infra/CAPITAL to create a European platform where the future of hyperscale and AI infrastructure can be designed – not just discussed... so we can use data – not hype – to chart a sustainable and scalable path
[4].
PyTorch Conference Europe (Paris, 7–8 April 2026)
This conference is tailored for the PyTorch community, covering the entire machine learning workflow - from infrastructure to agent-based systems [7][9]. Sessions include hands-on workshops on framework internals, LLMOps, compilers, and inference optimization. The agenda also addresses compliance with the EU AI Act and NIS2 security standards [7][9].
GITEX AI Europe (Berlin, 30 June – 1 July 2026)
As Europe's largest tech and AI exhibition, GITEX AI Europe offers multiple tracks on AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technologies. It serves as a broad platform for exploring new technologies and their applications across industries, attracting a diverse audience from startups to enterprise leaders.
These events provide a wealth of insights and networking opportunities, helping attendees align their strategies with the evolving AI landscape in Europe. Each conference offers a unique perspective, making them essential for anyone involved in AI infrastructure.
How to Choose the Right Conference
European AI Infrastructure Conferences 2026: Comparison Guide
Conference Comparison Table
Choosing the best AI infrastructure event means understanding how each conference aligns with your professional objectives. These events vary from executive-level strategy discussions to technical sessions aimed at solving practical challenges.
| Conference | Primary Audience | Core Focus | Scale | Key Themes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAISE Summit | C-Suite, Founders, Investors (80% executives) | Strategy and Innovation | 9,000+ attendees | AI strategy, Networking, Industry tracks |
| AI Infrastructure Summit Europe | IT Architects, AI Ops, Practitioners | Technological Foundation | 500+ specialists | Cooling, Sovereign cloud, Edge AI, Inference stacks |
| infra/CAPITAL Summit | Investors, Hyperscale Leaders, Policymakers | Capital & Digital Infrastructure | Executive-level | Site strategy, ESG, Risk pricing, Hyperscale execution |
The RAISE Summit attracts a high percentage of C-level executives, making it a prime choice for building strategic partnerships. Meanwhile, AI Infrastructure Summit Europe focuses on operational challenges like cooling systems and multi-cloud strategies, drawing a specialized audience of practitioners [2][8]. As Philbert Shih from Structure Research explained regarding infra/CAPITAL Summit:
We established infra/CAPITAL to create a European platform where the future of hyperscale and AI infrastructure can be designed – not just discussed.
[4].
Matching Events to Your Goals
The value you gain from these conferences depends largely on your professional role and objectives:
- Investors and C-Suite Executives: For those focused on site strategy, risk pricing, and institutional lending, infra/CAPITAL Summit offers targeted insights and high-level discussions [4].
- Machine Learning Engineers and Architects: The PyTorch Conference Europe is perfect for hands-on workshops exploring framework internals, model optimization, and enhancing inference processes [7][9].
- IT Operations and Data Center Managers: Consider AI Infrastructure Summit Europe in Munich. This event dives into physical hardware solutions, cooling technologies, and sovereign cloud architectures, tackling the complexities of creating stable, high-performance infrastructure [2][10].
- Enterprise Leaders: If you're navigating the "buy versus build" dilemma, look for conferences featuring panels on ROI and productization strategies. These sessions help align technical decisions with broader business transformation goals [3].
When deciding, also think about networking opportunities. Large-scale events like RAISE Summit provide wide-reaching exposure, while niche gatherings like infra/CAPITAL focus on exclusive, high-stakes discussions. Ticket options range widely, from a €599 developer pass to a €3,499 VIP MAX package at RAISE Summit, reflecting the balance between accessibility and premium networking experiences.
Common Topics Across AI Infrastructure Conferences
Main Topics: Sustainability, Scalability, and Security
European AI infrastructure conferences frequently zero in on three pressing areas: sustainability, scalability, and security. These themes reflect the challenges of expanding AI systems while adhering to Europe's strict regulatory landscape.
Sustainability takes center stage as experts tackle the immense energy consumption of AI systems. For instance, a single query to a large language model uses around 10 times more energy than a standard web search [14]. Inference alone can account for up to 90% of machine learning costs [14]. To address this, conferences highlight solutions like liquid and immersion cooling for managing rack densities exceeding 100 kW and carbon-aware scheduling, which shifts workloads based on real-time renewable energy availability [15]. In December 2025, Scaleway introduced an Environmental Footprint Calculator for its GPUs, enabling real-time monitoring and reporting of AI workflows' carbon impact [13].
Scalability discussions revolve around the transformation of traditional data centers into "AI Factories" that generate intelligence rather than merely storing data. As NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang aptly put it:
Data centres are evolving into AI factories... where AI infrastructure becomes national infrastructure
[12]. This shift demands vast GPU clusters and high-bandwidth interconnects. A notable example is Mistral AI's sovereign cloud, which operates on 18,000 Grace Blackwell chips [12]. These scalable infrastructures are paving the way for practical applications spotlighted at recent events.
Security and digital sovereignty are also high priorities. With over 90% of Europe’s AI computing power relying on non-European cloud providers, there is an urgent push for sovereign infrastructures that comply with GDPR while avoiding exposure to non-EU legal frameworks like the U.S. Cloud Act [11]. Technologies such as Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) are being showcased to protect sensitive data during inference, particularly in critical sectors like healthcare and justice [10].
Examples from 2025-2026 Events
Recent conferences have showcased how these challenges are being addressed in real-world scenarios.
At VivaTech in June 2025, Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch announced a partnership with Nvidia to establish sovereign HPC infrastructure in France and Germany. This initiative leverages hundreds of Nvidia H100 and Blackwell B200 GPUs, all powered by decarbonized electricity, aiming to reduce Europe’s reliance on non-EU cloud services. Mensch highlighted:
The real challenge is not just performance, but the ability to control the end‑to‑end value chain, from data to infrastructure
[11].
In December 2025, Scaleway CEO Damien Lucas unveiled AION, a European consortium including EDF, OpCore, and Hugging Face. This ambitious project seeks to build next-generation AI "GigaFactories" across Europe, merging EDF's energy expertise with Scaleway's GPU operations to create a sovereign AI ecosystem [13].
At the ecoCompute Conference in November 2025, researchers from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya presented GAISSA-Optimizer. This tool demonstrated a 75% reduction in energy consumption for AI ecosystems using techniques like quantization and early stopping [14].
Similarly, at the AI & Big Data Expo Europe in May 2025, IKEA’s Director of Data and Analytics, Shahin Shahkarami, shared a case study on scaling GenAI-powered assistants. The project emphasized balancing automation with human oversight in customer interactions, while managing the infrastructure required for large-scale conversational agents [3].
These examples illustrate how conferences are bridging the gap between theoretical challenges and actionable solutions.
Conclusion: Getting the Most from AI Infrastructure Conferences
What Attendees Should Take Away
AI infrastructure conferences are all about actionable insights, and attendees should leave with strategies that address sustainability, scalability, and security. One key shift discussed is moving from generative AI to agentic AI - systems that don't just generate but also observe, reason, and act autonomously. This approach reframes infrastructure as "AI factories" designed to produce intelligence rather than simply store data [12].
The networking opportunities at these events are immense. With over 80% of participants being top-level executives or founders [8], these gatherings create a unique space for forming strategic partnerships. A major focus is on integrated collaboration, where technical experts, operations teams, and business leaders come together to ensure AI models transition smoothly from concept to real-world application [3][16].
For those seeking practical knowledge, sessions on context engineering are invaluable. This involves working on the software layer that includes retrieval connectors, memory systems, and session management, all of which ensure AI systems deliver predictable performance [16]. Additionally, attendees can learn about evaluation frameworks that go beyond simple metrics and dive into carbon-aware scheduling - techniques that align workloads with real-time renewable energy availability [15]. A compelling example from December 2025 is Enchanted Tools’ demonstration at ai-PULSE, where their Mirokaï robot boosted productivity in radiotherapy by tenfold by helping calm paediatric patients. This underscores how advancements in AI infrastructure can lead to tangible benefits [13].
These conferences provide not just ideas but also a roadmap for shaping the future of AI infrastructure in Europe.
The Future of AI Infrastructure in Europe
Europe is quickly emerging as a leader in AI infrastructure, with conferences serving as a driving force for regional innovation and autonomy. A standout example is the AION consortium, launched in December 2025 by Scaleway, EDF, and Mistral AI. This initiative highlights how collaboration at these events is building the next generation of AI "GigaFactories" across Europe [13]. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang captured this evolution perfectly:
Data centres are evolving into AI factories... built to produce intelligence, not just store data.
The focus on sovereign AI is growing, with an emphasis on keeping data and computing resources within Europe. In a world that increasingly prioritizes data sovereignty, understanding how to create compliant and autonomous infrastructure is critical. The shift is also moving away from building ever-larger models to focusing on better engineering - skills like reliability, observability, and cost-effective deployment are becoming the benchmarks of success [16].
These conferences equip participants with the tools to navigate Europe’s unique AI landscape, offering technical expertise, opportunities for collaboration, and insights into regulatory frameworks. Together, these elements are shaping a future where Europe can lead in AI innovation while maintaining autonomy and compliance.
FAQs
Which conference best fits my role (executive, investor, engineer, or ops)?
The right conference for you will depend on your role and interests. If you're an executive or investor, the RAISE Summit in Paris (8–9 July 2026) is a great choice, focusing on strategic conversations around ROI-focused AI and its adoption in enterprises. Engineers and technical experts might find the AI Infra Summit in Santa Clara (15–17 September 2026) more appealing, as it dives into detailed technical topics. For those interested in broader market trends, GITEX AI EUROPE in Berlin (30 June–1 July 2026) is worth considering.
What does “sovereign AI infrastructure” mean in practice in Europe?
In Europe, the term "sovereign AI infrastructure" refers to the creation and management of AI-focused data centres, GPUs, and computing systems that operate entirely within a country's borders. This approach is designed to strengthen data security, maintain strategic independence, and ensure full control over AI technologies.
A key aspect of this infrastructure often involves the use of open-source solutions, which promote transparency and adaptability. Additionally, many initiatives prioritize the use of low-carbon energy sources, aligning with Europe's commitment to reducing environmental impact and meeting sustainability targets.
How can AI infrastructure teams cut energy use without hurting performance?
AI infrastructure teams have the opportunity to significantly cut down energy consumption by focusing on energy-efficient AI models. Techniques such as quantization, pruning, early stopping, and layer freezing can slash energy usage by as much as 75%, all while preserving performance levels. These methods streamline resource usage, ensuring efficient operations without sacrificing outcomes - an important step toward more sustainable AI practices.
