On 4 March 2026, the Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I) took part in the public event organized by the Cluster Fabbrica Intelligente (CFI) during MECSPE in Bologna, one of Italy’s leading trade fairs dedicated to manufacturing innovation.
The event, titled “Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing – Innovative solutions for efficiency and competitiveness”, brought together representatives from institutions, research centres, industrial clusters and manufacturing companies to discuss strategies, policy frameworks and concrete applications of artificial intelligence in production systems.
Within the session dedicated to national and regional strategies for artificial intelligence in manufacturing, Yari Nardiello, Head of Strategic Projects at AI4I, presented the contribution titled “From production needs to AI solutions: the AI Factory for the adoption of artificial intelligence in manufacturing”.
The presentation focused on the role of the AI Factory as an operational infrastructure designed to accelerate the adoption of AI technologies across industrial value chains. In this framework, AI4I is responsible for the services dedicated to companies, supporting enterprises in identifying industrial use cases, accessing AI capabilities and integrating advanced technologies into production environments.
The discussion highlighted the growing strategic relevance of artificial intelligence for Europe’s manufacturing base and the need to connect research, technological infrastructure and industrial demand. AI4I’s participation underscored the Institute’s commitment to engaging with the key vertical sectors where the future of applied artificial intelligence will be shaped, starting from manufacturing, a cornerstone of Europe’s industrial competitiveness.
The event opened with remarks by Gianluigi Viscardi, President of the Cluster Fabbrica Intelligente, and Alessandro Garnero, Director of Tecniche Nuove, and featured contributions from leading representatives of European and national programmes on AI and advanced manufacturing, as well as from companies developing and deploying AI-driven industrial solutions.
