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AI Gigafactories Investment & Delivery Forum
Turning Europe's AI Ambitions into Power-Ready, Bankable, and Deliverable Infrastructure
29 September, 2026 | 2nd Level, Hilton Frankfurt City Centre
As part of Future Grid & AI Data Centres Europe 2026 (FGDC2026), the AI Gigafactories Investment & Delivery Forum brings together 200+ senior decision-makers from across government, investment, energy and digital infrastructure to explore how Europe can translate AI ambition into power-ready, bankable, and deliverable AI infrastructure. Positioned as the executive extension of FGDC2026, the Forum focuses on the investment, energy and project delivery challenges shaping the development of AI Gigafactories.
As Europe accelerates its AI competitiveness, success will depend not only on access to compute, but also on the ability to finance, power, connect and deliver infrastructure at scale. Discussions will examine the critical enablers—from capital deployment and grid readiness to energy availability, permitting, digital infrastructure and ecosystem partnerships—needed to unlock and accelerate AI Gigafactory development across Europe.
The Forum provides a high-level platform for strategic dialogue, market intelligence and cross-sector collaboration, enabling stakeholders to strengthen partnerships, align investment priorities and accelerate the delivery of Europe's next generation of AI infrastructure.ation.
09:00 - 09:10
(10 mins)
Welcome Address by Chair
Fatimah Bello
Founder and Managing Partner
SWD Futures
09:10 - 09:25
(15 mins)
[Opening Keynote] The Power of Regional Innovation: Partnerships, AI Infrastructure, and Startup Growth
Bernhard Grieb
Managing Director
Economic Development Frankfurt
09:25 - 09:40
(15 mins)
[Keynote] Why Germany? Positioning the Country as Europe's AI Infrastructure Investment Hub
Björn-Ove Krahn
Director, Startups International
Germany Trade & Invest
09:40 - 09:55
(15 mins)
[Keynote] Europe's Idle Megawatts: How Edge Data Centers Unlock the Power the Hyperscale Race Forgot
Chad McCarthy
Chair of the Technical Committee
The European Data Centre Association - EUDCA
Coffee Break & Networking
10:25 - 11:15
(50 mins)
[Impact Panel] Powering Europe's AI Economy: How Energy, Digital Infrastructure and Capital Leaders Are Building the Foundation for the AI Growth
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What will define the next generation of AI-ready digital infrastructure?
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Can Europe's energy system keep pace with AI's unprecedented demand for power?
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How will energy availability reshape where and how AI-ready digital infrastructure is built?
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Where is capital flowing, and what investment models will unlock integrated energy and digital infrastructure?
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How to Evaluate investment risks, returns, and long-term demand fundamentals
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How to Manage financing, construction, and supply chain challenges at scale
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What will it take to build a resilient, competitive and AI-ready energy and digital infrastructure ecosystem for Europe?
Moderator:
Kristina Mydlar
Founder and CEO
Mydlar Consulting Limited
Panelists:
Mehmet Kirisman
Vice President, Infrastructure Private Equity
IFM Investors
Eric Holfert
Director Valuation Advisory
JLL
Martina Kiehas
Head of ESG
maincubes SECURE DATACENTERS
11:15 - 12:05
(50 mins)
[Panel] Accelerating AI Infrastructure Delivery in Europe: From Infrastructure readiness to Scalable Deployment
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Developing AI-ready sites through integrated planning of land, power and digital infrastructure.
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Accelerating permitting, environmental approvals and grid connection to shorten project delivery timelines.
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Strengthening collaboration between utilities, developers, technology providers and public authorities.
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Addressing supply chain constraints, construction risks and technology deployment challenges.
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Improving infrastructure resilience while meeting the speed and scale required for AI workloads.
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Best practices for delivering AI infrastructure faster, smarter and at greater scale across Europe.
Moderator:
Håvard Wilsher
Principal Advisor
Rystad Energy
Panelists:
Jannis Lange
Global Lead Data Center Solutions
E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions GmbH
Roberto Molinos
Managing Partner, Modelical
Associate Professor, IE University
Anaid Sandoval
Digital Infrastructure Strategy & Portfolio Management
Digital Realty
Nick Remington
Technical Director
Polar Data Centers
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