Agreement to drive industrial transformation and technological sovereignty in AI through the development of solutions for businesses
Milan, Turin, January 27 2026 – Fastweb + Vodafone and the Italian Institute for Artificial Intelligence (“AI4I”) have signed a three-year agreement for the development and dissemination of Artificial Intelligence solutions for companies operating particularly in the advanced manufacturing, automotive, and robotics and automation systems sectors.
The memorandum of understanding aims to strengthen the technological capacity of the national industrial and business system, facilitating access to high-performance computing infrastructure and solutions based on the use of Artificial Intelligence.
Fastweb + Vodafone and AI4I, each within their respective domains, will make their High Performance Computing infrastructures, AI platforms, and the support of highly specialized personnel available to the research community, businesses, and stakeholders involved in innovation projects.
The two entities will work together to design and develop artificial intelligence solutions based on specific market needs, either through direct development in AI4I's research labs, by establishing a joint path, or by leveraging solutions from entities already part of the "SUK - System User Knowledge" initiative, AI4I's platform to facilitate the connection between supply and demand for AI-based products and services.
At the heart of the partnership is AI4I's Foundry, a latest-generation High Performance Computing and AI infrastructure designed to support the research and development activities of the Institute and its partners, up to the production and provision of actual industrial services based on artificial intelligence. The Foundry offers advanced computing capabilities both for dedicated AI solutions and as a general-purpose HPC platform, representing a strategic asset in AI4I's portfolio available to Italian companies looking to innovate and scale their applications.
Companies will also be offered the opportunity to use AI4I's infrastructures for research and experimentation and to move to the operational development phase of AI solutions for the market by leveraging the advanced computing infrastructures and high-performance cloud solutions provided by the FastwebAI Factory supercomputer from Fastweb + Vodafone.
Finally, the Memorandum of Understanding stipulates that Fastweb + Vodafone and AI4I may participate in co-funded research and development projects at the national and European levels and may define a joint Open Innovation program to accelerate the adoption of AI in the Italian industrial supply chain.
"We are the first telecommunications company in Italy to sign an agreement of this kind with the AI4I foundation, and we have the ambition to bring Italy to the heart of European technological development. The MoU we sign today is another piece in our strategy to help bridge the technology gap in AI by building a strong ecosystem capable of uniting research, industry, and advanced technology," said Walter Renna, CEO of Fastweb + Vodafone. "The goal is to position Italy as one of the most advanced hubs in Europe for applied research and the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector."
"This agreement is another concrete step in building a national infrastructure for artificial intelligence applied to industry. The collaboration with Fastweb + Vodafone allows us to integrate scientific expertise, infrastructural capabilities, and proximity to businesses, creating the conditions to transform research into scalable industrial solutions. It is in this integration of research, advanced computing, and the market that the country's technological sovereignty is at stake today," said Fabio Pammolli, President of the Italian Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI4I).
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Fastweb + Vodafone
With over 20 million mobile lines and 5.8 million fixed lines, Fastweb + Vodafone is the leading infrastructure-based telecommunications operator in the Italian market, with more than 20,000 mobile sites and a proprietary fixed network of over 74,000 km ensuring national coverage for both mobile and fixed services, 50% of which is FTTH. Thanks to the combination of Fastweb's assets in fixed connectivity and Vodafone Italia's in mobile, Fastweb + Vodafone offers innovative converged services for families, businesses, and Public Administrations. Leveraging a strategic vision that aims to create value through the centrality of investments in fiber optic fixed and 5G mobile infrastructures, continuous technological innovation through the development of AI, Cloud, and Cyber Security applications, and the best service quality and customer experience, Fastweb + Vodafone positions itself as a point of reference for the digital transition of customers in every market segment. Fastweb + Vodafone, part of the Swisscom Group, has set the ambitious goal of becoming Net Zero Carbon by 2035, in line with the group's ESG strategy.
Fastweb + Vodafone was the first Italian telco to launch sovereign AI-based solutions, presenting the FastwebAI Suite to the market—a platform of services and tools based on Generative Artificial Intelligence dedicated to companies and public administrations. Thanks to latest-generation data centers located in Italy, the NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD Supercomputer, the FastwebMIIA language model, and cloud, edge computing, and cybersecurity platforms designed to ensure maximum security, the FastwebAI Suite ensures full compliance with the European AI Regulation (AI Act), privacy regulations, and copyright law. Fastweb+Vodafone was among the first companies to sign the Code of Conduct issued by the European Commission for the safe and transparent development of general-purpose AI models and to obtain ISO 42001 certification.
Italian Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI4I)
Founded by the Italian government in 2024 as an independent research and development institute with public participation, the Italian Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI4I) has the mission to implement scientific research, technology transfer, and more broadly, the country's innovation in the field of artificial intelligence, and to foster its positive impact on industry and related services, with a particular focus on the manufacturing, automotive, and aerospace sectors. The foundation's vision is to create an Italian research and technology organization for AI in Industry, with a leading position in the European landscape and in applied and industrial research.
AI4I can count on an extensive research and development center called “AI4I R&D Labs” and a latest-generation supercomputer based on Nvidia technology. AI4I has also developed “SUK”, an online platform that facilitates the connection between supply and demand for AI solutions from startups and SMEs. Finally, AI4I is the implementing body for business services within the IT4LIA AI Factory project, a project co-funded by the European Community and the Italian Government, which involves the purchase and operation of a supercomputer—among the most powerful in the world and optimized for AI—to be made available to Italian and European research and industry, as well as the provision of support services, including for businesses.