The Summit takes place on 19–20 November in Vienna, with 400 attendees expected from 30 countries. Austria’s Federal Minister for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure and the State Secretary for Digitalisation will open the programme.
Brussels, Belgium, 11 November 2026 – The Gaia-X European Association for Data and Cloud will bring together the extended European digital ecosystem community for the Gaia-X Summit 2026 at the Liechtenstein Garden Palace in Vienna, Austria.
Under the theme “Season 2.0 of Sovereign, Trusted AI & Data Ecosystems”, the Summit focuses on moving data spaces from technical development to market adoption, at a time when resilient supply chains, operational digital twins, economically viable data spaces, digital sovereignty and cybersecurity are strategic imperatives.
“Gaia-X’s role as a first mover in designing a Trust Framework for data spaces is widely recognised. Now, the priority is to turn these foundations into industrial-grade solutions that deliver tangible value. The Gaia-X Summit 2026 will bring together the organisations and expertise needed to accelerate this transition, strengthen European competitiveness and make digital trust an integral part of the data economy.” – Catherine Jestin, BoD Chairwoman, Gaia-X; Executive Vice President Digital, Airbus
The summit will highlight the new Gaia-X industrialisation strategy, designed to support the operational deployment of vertical and specialised AI. Building firmly upon past achievements and the maturity of its Trust Framework, this roadmap marks a definitive transition toward scaling market-ready technologies. Through interoperable connectors, the full industrialisation of core services and Gaia-X Digital Clearing Houses (GXDCH), and the integration of autonomous AI agents within secure data spaces, the event will outline how automated trust actively operationalises European digital sovereignty.
Two Days of Strategic Insights, Practical Demonstrations and International Collaboration
The Summit opens with addresses from Gaia-X leadership and Gaia-X Hub Austria, followed by Federal Minister Peter Hanke and State Secretary for Digitalisation Alexander Pröll. Thibault Kleiner of the European Commission’s DG CONNECT will deliver the keynote on Season 2.0.
Programme highlights:
- Gaia-X Milestones 2026 & Road Ahead 2027: progress and next priorities for industrialisation and market adoption
- Real-world adoption: data space implementations, their economic benefits and how to scale them
- Data Sovereignty for Sovereign AI and Europe’s Potential in Industrial AI
- One Framework, Many Jurisdictions: international approaches to trusted data sharing, with perspectives from Europe, Asia and the Americas
- Parallel theatres on technology, business and partners, with demonstrations of digital credentials and automated compliance, plus an exhibition area and an evening reception
Gaia-X also welcomes new leadership to its Executive Team. Fabian Biegel became Chief Operating Officer on 1 November 2026, and Jérôme Léger will become Chief Executive Officer from January 2027, after a transition starting on 1 November 2026. The Executive Team will share the Season 2.0 roadmap in Vienna and walk through the industrialisation of Gaia-X’s technical assets.
“Vienna marks a hard pivot for Gaia-X. The era of theory is over—that work is almost done. Season 2.0 is strictly a mandate for industrial execution. My mission is to shift this community from architecture to production. We are making automated trust and sovereignty immediate, operational realities for industries built on European values. We are no longer just designing frameworks. We are driving the infrastructure that powers the future of AI. To scale this, we are locking arms with partners to set global standards. This is where the pace changes. This is where we deliver.” – Jérôme Léger, Incoming CEO, Gaia-X
“Having worked on Gaia-X from its early days, I know the success of Season 2.0 will be measured by what we deliver and the value we create for our members and the wider market. We are focusing on production-ready solutions, stronger interoperability and the practical deployment of trusted data ecosystems, easy to adopt for organisations of every size. The Summit is our opportunity to demonstrate this progress and align the community on the next steps towards adoption at scale. I am looking forward to delivering this together with the team and the community.” – Fabian Biegel, COO, Gaia-X
“Season 1.0 laid the groundwork with the GXDCH. Season 2.0 brings that trust directly to the end user. We are moving our roadmap to TRL 9, meaning connectors and compliance services that run reliably in production. At the Summit, visitors won’t just hear about it—they will see it live, from automated compliance to real-world demonstrations with data space connectors” – Christoph F. Strnadl, CTO, Gaia-X
Vienna Hosts the International Gaia-X Community
Organised in cooperation with Gaia-X Hub Austria, operated by AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, the Summit will take place at the historic Liechtenstein Garden Palace in Vienna.
“Only through federated, sovereign data spaces can a genuine data economy built on free competition emerge. Effective digital and data sovereignty are the foundation for a strong, growing economy and a free society. As Gaia-X Hub Austria, we are proud to welcome Europe’s leading innovators in this field to the Gaia-X Summit in Vienna.” – Helmut Leopold, Head of Center for Digital Safety & Security, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Strengthening Collaboration
The Gaia-X Summit 2026 is supported by an international network of partners united by the principle that interoperable, economically sustainable data spaces are built through collaboration among industry, technology providers, and public institutions.
Platinum Partners:
“IDRI believe that, in the future, the global AI and data ecosystem will require a trust framework based on data sovereignty that is shared worldwide. From this perspective, we are focusing on the achievements of Gaia-X, which is why we have entered into this partnership at the Gaia-X Summit 2026. IDRI believes that Gaia-X will play a key role in global AI and data ecosystems. Going forward, the geographical expansion of Gaia-X Compliance will make a significant contribution to the global AI and data ecosystem’s Compliance.” – Jae-You Choi, President, Chair of BoD, International Data Research and Collaboration Institute (IDRI)
“AI in regulated industries isn’t waiting. Building on our work within Gaia-X, Cloud Data Engine has developed new technology that allows trusted providers to directly bring shared data and compliance into their customers’ AI projects. From early POCs to production-ready solutions, it creates a faster path to AI at scale, with less risk and lower operating costs. Come and see it at Gaia-X Summit 26,” – Alban Schmutz, President, Cloud Data Engine.
Gold Partners: TTA (Telecommunications Technology Association), KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), DIP (Daegu Digital Innovation Promotion Agency), IRT SystemX
Silver Partners: Ocean Enterprise, Cofinity-X, neusta aerospace, Circular Solutions, Hop Hop Mobility, Libelium, TU Wien, Posedio, C4DPP and Bronze Partners.
Register and learn how to reach compliance faster by building the Trust Framework into operations, and how to create scalable value by monetising data products within trusted networks.