Objectives of the Observatory
The European Digital Tech Watch, led by the Digital Innovation Observatories, launches in 2025 its first edition building on almost 20 years of research into digital technologies such as AI, Cloud Computing, Big Data and Cybersecurity in Italy, with the goal to expand this expertise to a European scale. The objectives are to:
- Develop comprehensive research on the digital maturity of European organizations and the broader digital ecosystem, providing insights that support industry growth, policymaking, and strategic decision-making
- Engage key stakeholders from institutions, academia, companies and technology providers in research and events, fostering knowledge exchange
- Disseminate knowledge through events and publications empowering companies and institutions with data-driven insights for informed decision-making and engaging key stakeholders to gain valuable perspectives on Europe’s digital landscape
European Digital Tech Watch, Research of the Observatory
The European Digital Tech Watch, in its annual research edition, tackles the following research streams focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing & Data Centres, Cybersecurity and Data and Analytics:
- Assessing the adoption and maturity levels of digital technologies among large European enterprises, highlighting best practices, cultural challenges, and the skills needed for the implementation of innovative solutions.
- Evaluating regulatory frameworks and governance challenges associated with digital transformation, with a particular focus on compliance with European directives (such as NIS2, DORA, AI Act) and the importance of digital sovereignty.
- Monitoring the European digital market, identifying key investment dynamics and competitive trends that characterize the digital ecosystem and the strategies of major industry players such as Hyperscalers.
- Exploring the evolution of digital infrastructures, including cloud computing and data centers, with a focus on market dynamics, the growth of European digital sovereignty, and resource optimization through practices such as Cloud FinOps.
- Investigating the use and impact of Artificial Intelligence, by analyzing applications, business strategies, ethical implications, and the diffusion of advanced solutions like Generative AI.
- Examining the role of data in driving digital innovation, studying data consumption, management, and governance through advanced approaches like Data Fabric, Data Mesh, and MLOps to enhance operational efficiency.
- Analyzing the social implications and competitiveness of the European digital ecosystem, evaluating the impact of technologies on labor markets, society, and innovation, while addressing issues of technological sovereignty and security.
- Developing insights into the interconnections between various digital technologies, to better understand the dependencies and transformation processes that drive the evolution of the entire digital ecosystem.
- Conducting large-scale surveys on the experiences and perceptions of European enterprises, reaching 1,000 large companies across 8 European countries to collect exclusive and representative data on digital transformation initiatives.
