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TECH OF TOMORROW

By NEWSNo Comments
TECH OF TOMORROW

20.09.2024

Technology leaders take the stage at Tech of Tomorrow on September 26, at the Inter Expo Center from 13:30. leading companies, industry experts, and guests will learn how they can change their business and create new opportunities.

The event, organized by Investor.bg, will, for the seventh consecutive year, provide a platform for the next generation of business and urban development innovations ready to make our work and lives significantly easier. In the dedicated half-day event, participants will be current and former managers and CEOs of leading innovative companies, with successful examples of how innovation continues to change businesses and create new opportunities. Finally, participants will share their views on the global footprint of technology on business, the city, and our everyday lives.

Among the participants are Martin Giswein – professor and member of the University of Vienna, Atanas Raykov – Vice President of Global Marketing and Growth at Rakuten Viber, Rüdiger Frickenschmid – Head of AI Division Europe at Fujitsu, Spas Ivanov – Managing Partner at Baseline CyberSecurity and many more prominent experts in the field of innovation and the developing world stand out.

The event will present 4 panels on the topics:

  • AI
  • Fintech & Cybersecurity
  • Digital Trust & Security
  • Tech in Automotive

Tech of Tomorrow is organized with the support of Devin, LATE CAFÉ & ROASTERY, Vinopoly, White Bite Catering, J Point Group, and DiKa. Partners are the Bulgarian Startup Association (BESCO), Bulgarian Fintech Association, and Sofia Tech Park.

The event is suitable for managers of companies in different industries – retail, education, data and security, manufacturing, transport and logistics, IT, pharma, HR and workspace, automotive, etc., as well as for ordinary people with interests or knowledge in these areas who are free on 26.09.2024 and who are ready to join an exciting conference.

A link for registration and the program can be found here:

Tech of tomorrow

 

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Website

Target audience

Digital skills for all

Digital skills for ICT professionals

Digital technology

Artificial Intelligence

Cybersecurity

Microsoft and BlackRock invest 30 billion in AI

By NEWSNo Comments
Microsoft and BlackRock invest 30 billion in AI

19.09.2024

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has pointed to the energy sector as one of its best growth opportunities. In this regard, they are ready to take a new step towards integrating artificial intelligence into our lives. Together with tech giant Microsoft, they are launching a fund to build an AI structure that will finance projects to build data centers, energy projects, campaigns, and technology developments to meet the growing demands arising from the development of artificial intelligence. The partnership between BlackRock, which will operate through its new infrastructure investment unit Global Infrastructure Partners, and Microsoft will be one of the largest partnerships in Wall Street’s history and will be valued at $30bn.

MGX, the Abu Dhabi-backed AI investing platform, will also be a general sponsor in the project to meet the country’s needs for innovation and development in the AI sphere. Nvidia, on the other hand, will advise on the design and integration of the ventures.

AI computing power requires much more energy than previous technological innovations and thus puts a strain on the existing energy infrastructure, to this end the investment vehicle is aimed at addressing the huge electrical and digital infrastructure needs associated with building AI products, which are expected to face severe capacity constraints in the future.

The Global AI Investment Partnership aims to raise up to USD 30 billion through equity investments. These funds will be used to secure an additional USD 70 billion in debt financing.

Details

Website

Target audience

Digital skills for all

Digital technology

Artificial Intelligence

Digital skills still prioritised in the Commission’s new Political Guidelines 2024-2029

By NEWSNo Comments
Digital skills still prioritised in the Commission's new Political Guidelines 2024-2029

19.09.2024

Ursula von der Leyen has unveiled European Commission’s latest Political Guidelines for the period 2024-2029, placing a strong emphasis on addressing the continent’s digital skills shortages. A key focus will be establishing a Union of Skills, aimed at tackling labour and skills gaps across the EU. This ambitious plan will drive investment in lifelong learning, skills retention, and the recognition of diverse types of training, helping citizens work seamlessly across borders.

STEM education overhaul and skills portability to drive EU’s digital transition

The guidelines highlight a pressing need to improve basic skills, particularly in STEM education. A new STEM Education Strategic Plan aims to reverse declining performance, increase the number of qualified STEM teachers, and encourage more women to pursue careers in these fields. Additionally, EU funding for skills development will be better aligned with labour market needs, especially in sectors crucial to the green and digital transitions, also building on the work in the Pact for Skills.

We will boost and refocus skills funding in the EU budget to ensure it is better linked to labour markets and more focused on sectors crucial for the twin transitions.

Recognising the need for cross-border skill mobility, the Commission is set to introduce a Skills Portability Initiative. This will ensure qualifications acquired in one EU country are recognized in others, facilitating the free movement of talent. Further efforts will focus on boosting digital literacy and combating misinformation through a European fact-checking network, with enhanced digital enforcement under the Digital Services Act.

We will establish a Union of Skills – focusing on investment, adult and lifelong learning, skill retention and the recognition of different types of training to enable people to work across our Union.

Draghi report highlights importance of closing skills gaps

The Draghi Report, which similarly stresses the urgency of closing the skills gaps in Europe, underscores the crucial role of digital skills in driving future economic growth. Both the Commission’s guidelines and the report call for action to ensure that Europe remains competitive in an increasingly digital world.

Demographic headwinds imply a shrinking labour force in Europe, while the US population is projected to expand in the coming decades. In this setting, a European strategy to address skills gaps – focused on all stages of education – is essential.

In line with the EU Digital Decade targets, the report emphasizes the need for 80% of working-age Europeans to have basic digital skills by 2030, reflecting the growing importance of digital literacy in the workforce. These initiatives align with broader EU efforts to ensure Europe is prepared for the digital and green transitions.

Digital skills are a necessary condition to develop capacities in digital technologies, to adopt new technologies and even promote the creation of innovative companies. As such, they are essential to the EU’s digital transition. It is key that the population at large is digitally literate, but it is also important that the pool of workers with advanced digital skills, for example in the areas of AI, programming, data management and cybersecurity, expands.

Roxana Mînzatu: a new EVP designate for skills

Roxana Mînzatu, the new Executive Vice President for Skills, is tasked with driving these changes. Her mission includes strengthening Europe’s talent pool through enhanced skills training and educationas outlined in her mission letter.

The new EVP will be tasked with stimulating the Skills Academies, which are responsible for developing learning programs that Member States will use to facilitate the recognition of credentials as a basis for formal qualifications.

She will also develop an Action Plan on Basic Skills and a STEM Education Strategic Plan, backed by the review of the Digital Education Action Plan and the adoption of a Roadmap on the future of digital education and training.

Mînzatu’s leadership will be pivotal in ensuring the EU is prepared for the future, with a strong focus on digital, green, and societal resilience skills.

© European Commission

Details

Target audience

Digital skills for all

Digital technology

Artificial Intelligence

Cybersecurity

Basic digital skills