Vienna, 26 August 2026 – The Gaia-X European Association for Data and Cloud AISBL, in collaboration with Gaia-X Hub Austria – coordinated by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology – is organising the 7th Gaia-X Summit, which will take place in Vienna on 19 and 20 November 2026. Under the theme “Season 2.0 of Sovereign, Trusted AI & Data Ecosystems”, the conference will bring together leading representatives from politics, business, research and public administration to actively shape the next phase of the European data economy and trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI).
Data sovereignty as the key to innovation and competitiveness
Today, innovation in business and society is largely driven by data. Data-driven business models form the basis for new products, services and value creation. As a result, access to high-quality data and its secure use are becoming key competitive factors in the economy. Data sovereignty is therefore one of the key prerequisites for an innovative business location, technological independence and a free, resilient society.
Gaia-X is a European industry initiative that has been established to develop an open and trustworthy approach to this end. It provides concepts, reference architectures and open-source components to build interoperable data ecosystems and enable the secure exchange and sharing of data across organisational boundaries. Companies retain control over their data at all times and determine for themselves who may access which information and for what purpose. In this way, Gaia-X lays the foundation for trustworthy data spaces and innovative data-driven business models, thereby strengthening the competitiveness of the European economy.
Practical examples, technologies and new business models
The international Gaia-X community, dedicated to establishing and operating sovereign data spaces, will meet in Vienna on 19 and 20 November 2026 for the European Gaia-X Summit, under the theme ‘Season 2.0 of Sovereign, Trusted AI & Data Ecosystems’. The focus will be on the latest Gaia-X services, open-source technologies and reference architectures that enable organisations to use their data securely, interoperably and in a sovereign manner. Practical demonstrations will illustrate how trusted data spaces support the development of data-driven business models and sovereign AI applications, thereby unlocking new potential for innovation, value creation and digital sovereignty in Europe.
The Gaia-X Summit offers businesses a comprehensive insight into the current state of the European Gaia-X landscape. Concrete implementations from various sectors demonstrate how organisations are already successfully utilising Gaia-X technologies and the added value that sovereign data spaces and trusted data ecosystems deliver in practice. In addition, participants will gain an overview of the available Gaia-X open-source services, reference architectures and implementation approaches, as well as the key European projects and initiatives in key economic sectors. A separate focus of the programme is dedicated to Austrian flagship initiatives and demonstrates how domestic companies and research institutions are actively shaping the development of sovereign data spaces and data-driven innovations.
Further information & tickets
Further information on the Gaia-X Summit 2026 will be published on an ongoing basis at https://gaia-x.eu/summit-2026/. Registration for the Gaia-X Summit 2026 will open there on 1 September 2026. For non-members of Gaia-X, an early-bird discount of 20 per cent on the standard ticket price will apply in September. Gaia-X members and representatives of the public sector will be granted free admission.
About Gaia-X Hub Austria
The Gaia-X Hub Austria is a key initiative designed to support the strategic objectives of national digital sovereignty. The Gaia-X platform brings together stakeholders from industry, research and public administration, and supports companies in establishing data sovereignty as the foundation for new data-driven business models. The Hub, which is supported by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI) and the State Secretariat for Digitalisation within the Federal Chancellery (BKA), and coordinated by AIT, sees itself not only as an information hub but also as an active contributor to shaping European digital policy. It advises policy-makers, supports companies in developing sovereign data strategies and creates concrete opportunities for companies to enter the data space through real-world test environments and pilot projects.