As part of the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Switzerland organized the 6th Alpine Tech Forum on January 19, 2026, under the motto "Winning Europe's Digital Sovereignty Race." At the invitation of the forum, Helmut Leopold, Chairman of Gaia-X Hub Austria, joined renowned economic experts and founders Martin Kaswurm and Christian Niedermueller on the panel on "Digital Sovereignty – Best Practices from Austria" to discuss economic, geopolitical, and technological challenges in the context of European sovereignty. The discussion was moderated by Patrick Sagmeister, Head of ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Switzerland.
Sovereignty as a prerequisite for data-driven business models
Today, digital sovereignty means much more than technological independence. It is based on capabilities, clear rules, and a strong ecosystem of reliable partners that enables true "freedom of action." Sovereign actors ensure fair and effective market mechanisms, thereby forming a central foundation for sustainable democracy.
At the same time, sovereignty must be inextricably linked to trust between all parties involved – especially in the context of new data-driven business models and global markets. In this context, Helmut Leopold highlighted key perspectives on digital and data sovereignty as the basis for trustworthy data spaces and presented concrete best practice examples from Austria.
The exchange in Davos underscored the relevance of European approaches for global, data-driven markets. The Gaia-X community, supported by leading industry and research players in Europe, provides a much-needed framework for the long-term economic competitiveness and sovereignty of the EU. The aim is to ensure that the value of data remains in Europe and that data is accessible, shareable, and subject to clear European rules.
Gaia-X: Open infrastructures instead of digital dependencies
Gaia-X supports and enables open, decentralized data and service infrastructures that scale across ecosystems – not proprietary silos or potential monopolies. The European initiative thus acts as a market-enabling framework that reduces integration costs, avoids vendor lock-ins, and supports the development of modern data spaces based on European principles.
A central element of this is the Gaia-X Trust Framework. With specifications, standards, and open-source solutions, it helps to significantly reduce transaction and compliance costs in digital ecosystems. By automating trust, compliance, and interoperability—across industries and countries—it creates efficient data services for the public sector as well as sustainable and profitable business models for companies. Further information: https://www.alpinetechforum.com/
About the Gaia-X Hub Austria
The Gaia-X Hub Austria, which is supported by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility, and Infrastructure (BMIMI) and the State Secretariat for Digitalization, currently located in the Federal Chancellery (BKA), and coordinated by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, sees itself not only as an information hub, but also as an active contributor to European digital policy. It advises political decision-makers, supports companies in developing sovereign data strategies, and creates concrete entry opportunities for data spaces through real test environments and pilot projects. Further information: https://www.gaia-x.at/