April 11, 2025
At the 2025 Delphi Economic Forum on 10 April 2025, the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications of NCSR Demokritos participated in a panel discussion on the theme AIFactories: Powering Innovation in Europe, moderated by IIT Director Dr. Vangelis Karkaletsis. The session brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to examine what is needed to translate Europe’s AI ambitions into practical innovation outcomes.
The discussion was framed by the European Union’s newly announced Action Plan for AI Coordination, which sets out a vision for strengthening AI capabilities across the continent. Despite ongoing investments and policy efforts, Europe—and particularly Greece—continues to face challenges in bridging the gap between research activity and market-ready solutions.
Key topics addressed included:
– The scale and impact of AI startups across the EU, and the barriers many face in reaching growth and global competitiveness.
– Greece’s relatively low performance on the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), despite access to substantial research and innovation funding.
– The importance of transforming promising research outputs into products and services that deliver societal and economic value.
Panel highlights included:
– Minister Dimitris Papastergiou introduced upcoming initiatives, including the creation of a national Secretariat for AI, new data governance legislation, and the digitization of a large body of public documents to support open data use in AI development.
– Evangelos Floros (EuroHPC) discussed the broader role of AI Factories as ecosystems—beyond infrastructure—to support European AI sovereignty.
– Michalis Kassimiotis (HPE) presented Daidalos, Greece’s national supercomputer, expected to be among the Top 50 globally and Top 10 in Europe, emphasizing its significance for local research and innovation.
– Andreas Stavropoulos (Threshold Ventures) focused on the role of participatory ecosystems in helping startups grow and scale through collaboration and access to infrastructure.
– Christos Tarantilis (EY) highlighted the Greek AI Factory as a step forward, noting the importance of long-term planning, sustainability, and integration with the public sector.
From IIT’s perspective, the panel reinforced the need for a coordinated, multi-level approach that connects research, infrastructure, policy, and industry in a way that enables scalable, impactful innovation. IIT remains committed to supporting this transition through collaborative research, applied innovation, and active participation in national and European initiatives.
Watch the full panel discussion: