From Emilia-Romagna’s Data Valley, a year of concrete projects for more reliable, accessible and impactful artificial intelligence.
The new IFAB Report 2024–2025 is now online. Published by IFAB – the International Foundation Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for Human Development – the report presents a full year of activities, figures, use cases, and future directions in the field of Artificial Intelligence and supercomputing. This edition marks a pivotal moment in IFAB’s growth as a national hub and connector between advanced research, world-class infrastructure, and the real needs of businesses, public institutions, and society at large.
54 projects, 4 application domains, and a cross-sector vision
IFAB confirms its role as an operational hub for developing AI and HPC-based solutions that create tangible and measurable value. In 2024, the Foundation launched and supported 54 projects, structured across four key application domains:
- Earth, Environment, Energy, and Climate
- Life Sciences
- Digital Societies
- Manufacturing and New Materials
Alongside these, a transversal technological axis includes Quantum Computing, Federated Learning, and Generative AI, demonstrating IFAB’s interdisciplinary and innovation-driven approach.
The impact of AI across strategic sectors
The Report highlights several real-world applications of projects carried out with companies, universities, and research centers. Key focus areas include predictive risk management for climate change, optimization of industrial processes through agentic AI models, experimentation with privacy-preserving AI tools, and big data analytics for environmental monitoring. IFAB shows how AI can become a strategic ally in facing today’s challenges of sustainability, competitiveness, and trust in technology.
People at the center: the power of training
In 2024, IFAB also expanded its training offer for businesses and public administrations, activating over 50 courses and masterclasses, engaging executives, technicians, and professionals. Education is seen as a lever to foster a culture of responsible, ethical, and human-centered AI. Notably, IFAB is one of the key players in IT4LIA – AI Factory, the Italian AI hub selected by the European Commission to lead the development of next-generation AI services.
Download the full Report
The IFAB 2024–2025 Report serves as a practical roadmap for SMEs, large enterprises, and public administrations. It offers concrete case studies, explains how to access the Technopole infrastructures, highlights the value of the IFAB network, and outlines paths to adopt supercomputing technologies — from concept to production. .
