2026 is not just any year. It's the year Europe stops talking and starts doing.
AI Act fully operational. DORA in force for the financial sector. NIS2 imposing cybersecurity standards on thousands of companies. And a question that can no longer be postponed: where do our data reside?
The answer to this question is worth billions. And Southern Italy, for the first time, is at the center of the game.
What "Digital Sovereignty" Means
It's not technological nationalism. It's pragmatism.
Digital sovereignty means:
- Data control - knowing where they are, who can access them, under which jurisdiction
- Infrastructure independence - not depending on a single foreign provider
- Local computing capacity - being able to train AI on European data, in Europe
- Resilience - continuing to operate even in geopolitical tension scenarios
Until yesterday it was a conference topic. Today it's a compliance requirement.
AI Act: What Really Changes
Since February 2, 2025, the AI Act is law. But 2026 is the year of operational deadlines.
Key Dates
| Date | What Happens |
|---|---|
| February 2025 | Bans on unacceptable high-risk AI |
| August 2025 | Rules for general-purpose AI (GPT, Claude, etc.) |
| August 2026 | Compliance obligation for high-risk AI |
| August 2027 | Full application to all systems |
Who Is Involved
Not just Big Tech. Any company that:
- Uses AI for recruiting or employee evaluation
- Employs AI in credit or insurance processes
- Uses biometric recognition systems
- Adopts AI for decisions impacting fundamental rights
The Hyperscaler Problem
Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud. Three American companies control over 65% of European cloud.
Why is this a problem?
1. US Cloud Act
The 2018 American law allows US authorities to request data held by American companies, wherever the servers are. An Italian company using AWS in Milan is not safe from extraterritorial requests.
2. Risk Concentration
An AWS outage in 2024 blocked thousands of European companies. Depending on a single provider means depending on their decisions, their prices, their stability.
3. Value Drain
Every euro spent on hyperscaler cloud is a euro leaving the European economy. In 2025, EU companies spent over 100 billion on cloud services, largely toward the USA.
4. AI Training
AI models are trained on the data they process. Using American clouds means contributing to the intelligence of systems we don't control.
The Italian Opportunity
Italy has three strategic assets that few consider:
Geographic Position
We are the bridge between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Submarine cables connecting continents pass through here. Palermo, Bari, Mazara del Vallo are global connectivity hubs.
Renewable Energy
The South has the best solar irradiation in Europe. A data center in Puglia can operate with green energy at competitive costs, a huge advantage for sustainability and budget.
Special Economic Zone
The ZES Unica Mezzogiorno offers tax credits up to 60% on investments. No other European country has comparable incentives for digital infrastructure.
What Others Are Doing
France
The "Cloud de Confiance" plan certifies cloud providers that guarantee immunity from the Cloud Act. OVHcloud and Scaleway are the national champions.
Germany
Gaia-X, the European federated cloud project, is led by Berlin. Deutsche Telekom and SAP invest billions in sovereign infrastructure.
Spain
Barcelona positions itself as the Western Mediterranean hub. AWS, Microsoft, and Google have all announced Spanish regions.
And Italy?
Something is moving. The National Strategic Hub for PA, TIM and CDP investments. But the private sector is lagging. More Italian data centers are needed, managed by Italians, for Italian and European clients.
The Role of the South
For decades, Southern Italy has been a digital periphery. Slow connections, few data centers, talent flight.
2026 can reverse course. Here's why:
Competitive Costs
Rent, energy, labor: everything costs less than in Milan or Frankfurt. A data center in Puglia has 30-40% lower operating costs.
Unique Incentives
ZES, development contracts, regional grants. No other European area offers such an advantageous package.
Growing Connectivity
New submarine cables (BlueMed, others coming) make the South an international network node, no longer an appendage.
Available Talent
Polytechnic of Bari, University of Salento, Federico II of Naples. The South trains engineers who often emigrate. A local ecosystem can retain them.
What Companies Must Do
1. Map Your Data
Where are they today? Under which jurisdiction? Who can access them? Many companies can't answer.
2. Assess Risks
Cloud Act, technological lock-in, single provider dependency. What are the concrete risks for your business?
3. Plan the Transition
You don't need to abandon hyperscalers tomorrow. But you need a strategy: which workloads can be repatriated? Which data must stay in the EU?
4. Choose European Partners
Alternatives exist. Italian data centers, European cloud providers, hybrid solutions. More expensive? Sometimes yes. But sovereignty has value.
Our Commitment
ITH was born with this mission: building Italian digital infrastructure, in Italy, for Italy and Europe.
Our data center in Puglia will be:
- TIER IV - maximum reliability, 99.995% uptime
- AI-Native - designed for artificial intelligence workloads
- 100% renewable - solar energy and environmental certifications
- Compliant - GDPR, NIS2, DORA, AI Act ready
It's not a project against anyone. It's a project for something: a digital Europe that controls its own destiny.
Conclusion
2026 is the year of choices. Companies that invest in digital sovereignty today will be more resilient, more compliant, more competitive tomorrow.
Southern Italy has the cards to be a protagonist in this transformation. Vision, investments, and courage are needed.
The game is open. And we want to play it.
Want to know how your company can benefit from digital sovereignty? [Contact us](#contatti) for a strategic consultation.
\\\`