Europe’s Digital Backbone: Strategic Supply Chains for the Future of the Internet – Pre 02 2026
by EURid
26 May 2026 | 10:00 - 11:00 CEST | Main Auditorium
Consolidated programme 2026
Pre sessions are organised by an individual or an organisation. The EuroDIG session principles do not apply.
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Europe’s energy, chips, computing and telecom sectors are not only industrial pillars - they are shaping the future architecture of the internet. This session explores how European actors can strengthen resilience while keeping the internet open, free and secure.
Session description
This session brings together European leaders from industry, policy and science to explore how critical supply chains in energy, semiconductors, computing and telecommunications shape the present and future of the internet. As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly strategic, Europe’s capacity to ensure resilient and trusted supply chains is closely tied to the stability, openness and security of the global internet.
The discussion will examine how these sectors already contribute to strengthening the European internet: through reliable energy for data centres and networks, semiconductor and computing capacity enabling AI and cybersecurity, and robust telecommunications infrastructure connecting users and services across borders.
Speakers will also look ahead to the next decade, reflecting on how developments in their sectors may reshape the internet’s underlying infrastructure. They will assess emerging risks and opportunities for Europe, from technological dependence to innovation leadership, and consider how Europe can play a stronger global role while preserving the interoperability and openness that underpin the internet.
By connecting perspectives across energy, chips, computing and telecommunications, the session aims to highlight how industrial strategy, infrastructure resilience and internet governance are increasingly interlinked in shaping the digital future.
Format
Moderated panel discussion with Q&As with the audience
Further reading
Links to relevant websites, declarations, books, documents. Please note we cannot offer web space, so only links to external resources are possible. Example for an external link: Main page of EuroDIG
People
Key participants:
- Moderator (TBD)
- Dr. ir. Jo De Boeck, Chief Strategy Officer and EVP at imec
imec the world’s largest independent research and innovation center for nanoelectronics and digital technology. As the chip lab of the world, imec drives the advancements that power today’s most cutting-edge technology. By making chips smaller, faster, more affordable, and more sustainable, they tackle the most pressing global challenges, such as climate change, pollution, accessible healthcare, and sustainable food provision (www.imec.be). - Agata Hidalgo, Head of Public Affairs and Media Relations at Renaissance Fusion
Renaissance Fusion is a France-based startup developing a compact, efficient stellarator nuclear fusion reactor intended to deliver clean energy to the grid by the 2030s (www.renfusion.eu). - Francesc D'Assis Casas Vilaseca, Public Affairs Manager at PLD Space
Founded in 2011 as a rocket company at the core, PLD Space is a pioneering aerospace manufacturer and small satellite launch service provider, on a mission to unlock rapid, reliable, sustainable access to space for innovative space organisations, research institutes, commercial and institutional customers (www.pldspace.com).