Organizers:
MIPRO and CroAi
Forum Purpose:
To operationalise the European AI and HPC strategy by connecting policy intent, digital infrastructure, industrial deployment, and economic impact, with a strong focus on Anorganic Intelligence, systemic AI adoption, HPC integration, and regulatory alignment.
The Economic AI and HPC Forum is positioned as a strategic flagship dialogue organised by MIPRO and CroAI, complementing MIPRO`s 17 ICT scientific conferences (more than 400 papers) by focusing on:
-transition towards Anorganic Intelligence,
-infrastructure development,
-Enterprise AI Readiness Proactivity (Agentic AI) and Reactivity (Generative AI),
-economic impact transition.
The Forum aims to present the EU’s strategic frameworks, as well as the technological and infrastructural environments for the development of a smart industry powered by AI and HPC—encompassing both large enterprises and SMEs.
It will further articulate a forward-looking vision of Anorganic Intelligence as the next evolutionary layer beyond conventional AI—enabling autonomous, system-level, and infrastructure-embedded intelligence.
Objectives:
-Position AI as a strategic economic ecosystem
-Frame AI as a driver of sovereignty and competitiveness
-Introduce the concept of Anorganic Intelligence beyond narrow AI
-Europe’s AI ambition within the Digital Decade 2030
-Strategic autonomy, resilience, and economic security
-Transition from innovation policy to industrial AI policy
-Supporting the “new industrial stack” through a robust financial ecosystem
Step AI Forum Program:
From Artificial to Anorganic Intelligence
Zorislav Šojat and Karolj Skala, Ruđer Bošković Institute
From AI Policy to Economic Reality
Andrea Čović Vidović, Deputy Head of Unit, DG CONNECT, European Commission
Networking & Institutional Exchange
Anders Dam Jensen, EuroHPC Joint Undertaking
From Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0: How AI is Reshaping Automation – Implications for SMEs
Dominic Gorecky, Head of Swiss Smart Factory, Executive Board Member, President of the Swiss Cobotics Competence Center (S3C)
AI Application Development Framework: Multiagent Systems
Slavko Vidović, CEO, InfoDom
Pre-incubation and Skill Development for the Smart Industry Era
Nina Begičević Ređep, Neven Vrček, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organization and Informatics
Industrial AI at Scale: From Connectivity to Intelligent Infrastructure
Damir Prusac, President of Research Alliances, Infobip
Solving Complex Problems Using Data and Machine Learning
Damir Kopljar, Head of AI, CROZ
Tools, Platforms, and Methodologies for AI Application Development
Aleks Buvač, CEO, Own.Solutions
European AI & HPC Ecosystems and Cross-Border Value Chains
Oral and poster Presentation of AI Factory and AI Antennas
Focus Areas:
-Coordinated HPC and AI ecosystems across Europe
-Sectoral value chains: manufacturing, healthcare, energy, mobility, finance
-SMEs and scale-ups as AI multipliers
-Identification of ecosystem gaps
-Best practices in cross-border AI collaboration
-Frameworks for interoperability
Presentation of Pantheon at the Economic AI & HPC Forum
A New Mega Data Center That Could Transform Croatia’s Digital Landscape
The ambitious AI innovation and data center project “Pantheon”, announced as one of the largest planned data centers in Europe, could position Croatia among Europe’s key hubs for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.
The planned facility will have a total capacity of 1 GW and infrastructure exceeding today’s Tier IV reliability standards. The project includes the construction of new substations, transmission lines, optical network infrastructure, and renewable energy sources, including a large-scale solar power plant dedicated to supporting the center’s operations.
Pantheon represents the convergence of digital infrastructure, energy, and artificial intelligence, and is expected to create thousands of new jobs during both the construction and operational phases while stimulating the growth of Croatia’s domestic IT and technology sectors.
Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the center potentially becoming operational by the end of the decade.
