Networking Series: “Digital Infrastructures and AI”

AI Needs Infrastructure – The Foundation of the Digital Future

Digital infrastructures and AI influence each other. On the one hand, AI requires high-performance data centers, cloud and edge infrastructures, high-speed networks, and a secure and sustainable energy supply. On the other hand, AI helps make these very infrastructures smarter, more efficient, and more resilient—for example, by optimizing communication networks, data centers, or energy systems. The international competition for AI is thus also a competition for data, computing power, communication networks, energy supply, and digital platforms. Together, they form the foundation of the digital future.
The “Digital Infrastructures and AI” networking series aims to shed light on this dynamic environment and provide guidance, taking into account the specific circumstances in Europe and Germany. The kickoff event, “AI Needs Infrastructure – The Foundation of the Digital Future,” opens the series with an overview of the key interconnections between digital infrastructures and AI from technological, strategic, and practical perspectives.
Key questions and areas of tension to be addressed in this kickoff event and the subsequent networking evenings include, among others:
• How can we successfully develop a scalable,
industrialized AI/communications infrastructure?
• What might European solutions look like?

• What new applications will this enable?
• What role will cloud providers, specialized AI factories, and 6G network operators play in this ecosystem? How will this change business models?
• What requirements does AI place on network and cloud infrastructure during the training phase and in operation?
• How will the architecture of digital infrastructures—and specifically 6G—change when AI becomes the base layer? Will the focus shift from computing, storage, and network resources to data spaces, AI models, and AI agents?
• How can we address the rapid development cycles in AI? What are the implications for 6G standardization?

The goal of this networking evening is to identify areas of tension and gather ideas on how organizations can constructively address these tensions. Participants will receive an overview