Gaia-X Summit 2024 Concludes with New Milestones and Global Collaboration

The 5th Gaia-X Summit, “Empowering Global Data Spaces, Shaping Tomorrow’s Cloud Infrastructure,” successfully concluded at Finnkino Tennispalatsi, Helsinki. With over 600 registrants from more than 40 countries, the event showcased significant advancements in Gaia-X’s mission to establish a secure, federated, and interoperable digital ecosystem, setting new milestones for digital sovereignty and global collaboration.

The Summit opened through a keynote speech by Lulu Ranne, Finnish Minister for Transport and Communications, and was organised in partnership with Gaia-X Hub Finland, the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS), the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, as well Dawex and the Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC), reinforcing Gaia-X’s commitment to delivering impactful solutions to today’s digital challenges.

Catherine Jestin, Gaia-X Board of Directors Chairwoman and Airbus Executive Vice President Digital and Information Management, stated, “This Summit has emphasised the critical importance of globalisation, standardisation, and open-source contributions as the foundation of a thriving data economy, both in Europe and globally. The economy is inherently global, and so must be the data spaces we are building, ensuring accessibility and affordability for SMEs through open-source principles. Interoperability, driven by common standards, is essential to create an ecosystem where businesses of all sizes can collaborate and innovate seamlessly. By championing these principles, we ensure that the data economy becomes a success story for Europe, empowering even the smallest enterprises to thrive in this interconnected world.”

The Summit’s Tech Theatre featured, amongst others, the Loire Release components for the Gaia-X Digital Clearing Houses, marking a significant step forward in Gaia-X’s technological evolution. Christoph Strnadl, the CTO of Gaia-X, stated, “The joint session with our COO, Roland Fadrany, was an excellent opportunity showcasing how the business side of our members and the technical side have been and will continue to work together. Complementing that, the Tech Theatre was an amazing and extremely well-attended place to disseminate and discuss technical topics on a detailed level, for instance, the internal architectures of the Loire Release components for our Gaia-X Digital Clearing Houses (GXDCHs)”. The release provides essential tools for automated compliance based on the Gaia-X Compliance Document 24.06, operationalising key elements of the Gaia-X Trust Framework to enhance interoperability and trust across ecosystems.

To complement the launch of the Loire Release, a new Gaia-X Academy course was unveiled, equipping participants with technical knowledge and tools to implement compliance and interoperability frameworks effectively.

In the Economic Theatre, Hubert Tardieu, Independent Board Member of Gaia-X, concluded, “As the landscape of data sharing evolves, it is essential to prioritise the economic sustainability of data spaces to ensure their long-term viability. Gaia-X emphasises the need for mature data-sharing ecosystems where orchestrators can operate independently without reliance on ongoing public funding. Drawing from insights in the “Economics of Data Sharing” position paper, a balanced ecosystem requires orchestrators to deliver value while maintaining trust and neutrality, fostering participant collaboration.

By introducing maturity-level frameworks, Gaia-X aims to support governments and the European Commission in assessing the readiness of data spaces for self-sustainability. Economic considerations, as outlined in the position paper, highlight that the success of data spaces lies in the ability to create and fairly distribute value across participants, ensuring their resilience and continued innovation beyond the initial phases of public support. This alignment of economic and operational maturity is crucial for fostering robust and enduring digital ecosystems.”

Prof. Boris Otto, from Fraunhofer ISST, stated about the Partners Theatre at the Gaia-X Summit that “The Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC) is delighted to partner with the Gaia-X Summit, which provides an excellent platform to present significant project milestones, including the DSSC Blueprint v.1.5 and Toolbox. Together, we are setting foundational standards for trusted and interoperable data spaces across Europe and beyond.”

In addition, new Gaia-X Digital Clearing Houses were also announced. Proximus and Neusta Aerospace will now participate in operationalising and strengthening the compliance infrastructure. These additions mark critical steps in enabling trusted, secure, and scalable data sharing within and beyond Europe.

Gaia-X reiterated its commitment to the internationalisation strategy by announcing hubs in Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland, expanding its presence and fostering local collaboration. These hubs will play pivotal roles in driving regional innovation and supporting Gaia-X’s standards. “The Gaia-X Summit in Helsinki was a significant milestone in introducing Gaia-X more widely in the Nordic-Baltic region and connecting data space initiatives and individuals from all over Europe and beyond. “On behalf of the Gaia-X Hub Finland, I thank the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications and the members of the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions – the governments of Estonia, Finland and Iceland – and the local data space community for supporting this event.” Stated Ville Sirviö, Gaia-X Board of Directors Member; Gaia-X Hub Finland Coordinator and Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) CEO.

The Gaia-X Evangelist Programme, introduced during the Summit, provides a platform for individuals and organisations to advocate for Gaia-X standards and values. This initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of Gaia-X globally.

To conclude, Ulrich Ahle, the CEO of Gaia-X, reiterated, “Data spaces are rapidly transitioning from development to reality, with many now becoming fully operational. As part of Gaia-X’s globalisation strategy, we are proud to see data spaces expanding beyond Europe to countries like Japan and Korea based on their local legislation. This global reach demonstrates the universal relevance of Gaia-X’s principles and highlights our commitment to fostering trusted, interoperable data ecosystems worldwide.”, referencing the successful deployment of a testbed for a Gaia-X Digital Clearing House in Japan. This milestone, led by the University of Tokyo, with active participation from industry giants including Toshiba, SoftBank Corp., NTT DATA, and NTT Communications, reflects Gaia-X’s globalisation strategy and commitment to fostering international collaboration.

About Gaia-X

Gaia-X is a European initiative that aims to establish a secure, transparent, and federated digital ecosystem based on European values. Its mission is to foster innovation and digital sovereignty by providing a framework for data infrastructure and services that are compliant, interoperable, and trusted.