AI4I’s Head of HPC, AI & Engineering discusses computing infrastructure, data security and the need for a coordinated European strategy
Data sovereignty, digital infrastructure security and Europe’s ability to compete in artificial intelligence are at the centre of an interview with Riccardo Di Maria, Head of HPC, AI & Engineering at the Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I), published in La Stampa on 9 November 2026, by journalist Giovanni Turi.
“Data sovereignty must be protected. If the EU does not act together, it will lose the battle,” Di Maria argues, highlighting the strategic importance of computing infrastructure and Europe’s capacity to shape its technological future.
Data, infrastructure and technological autonomy
In the interview, Di Maria examines the growing importance of data and the need to ensure its security, control and management within trusted infrastructure. These issues have direct implications for industrial competitiveness, information protection and European technological autonomy.
The rapid expansion of AI, supported by substantial investments in GPUs and data centres, also raises questions about the economic sustainability of computing infrastructure and the strategic choices shaping the industry’s future.
Europe’s AI challenge
According to Di Maria, competing internationally requires stronger European coordination, shared investment priorities and a common vision for technological infrastructure.
Cybersecurity is another central concern, as growing vulnerabilities call for stronger prevention capabilities and more effective responses to cyber threats.
These themes are closely aligned with AI4I’s mission to develop advanced technological capabilities and infrastructure supporting AI research and industrial adoption, including through Peano AI Foundry, the Institute’s high-performance computing platform.
Read the full interview in La Stampa, 9 November 2026:
