Beyond smart: AIOTI Days 2025 envisions the cities of tomorrow
What if the cities of tomorrow weren’t just smart, but truly intelligent, sustainable, and human-centric? That’s the question at the heart of AIOTI Days 2025, a two-day conference that took place on 22nd and 23rd of September in Madrid.
Bringing together policymakers, technologists, researchers, and industry leaders, the event explores how AI, IoT, 6G, virtual twins, and immersive verses are transforming urban living into what organisers call Cities 5.0.
The goal: reimagining cities as ecosystems that thrive on innovation while putting people and the planet first.
Building the future: themes driving urban innovation
The conference revolved around four central themes, each representing a key dimension of building the cities of tomorrow:
- Collaboration and standardisation: how cross-sector collaboration and standardisation enable seamless integration of technologies across Europe and beyond? Sessions addressed strategies to balance flexibility with consistency amid rapid technological change.
- Green enablement: sustainability was at the heart of the discussions. Experts explored Green ICT, including energy-efficient technologies, renewable energy integration, and sustainable practices designed to reduce the carbon footprint of digital infrastructure.
- Cities 5.0: focused the vision of intelligent, inclusive, and resilient cities. Discussions highlighted how data-driven governance, digital twins, and participatory design strategies can improve quality of life while fostering equity and community engagement.
- AI, Virtual Twins and Verses: from immersive digital spaces to precise digital replicas of urban environments, this theme examined how AI, virtual twins, and virtual verses are revolutionising urban planning, manufacturing, and citizen engagement.
Deep dives into technology, policy, and sustainability
The thematic sessions explored how emerging technologies and collaborative strategies are shaping the future of Cities 5.0. Experts discussed the integration of 6G, AI, and edge computing to create flexible, interoperable infrastructures, and examined the hourglass approach for standardisation across EU projects.
Sustainability was a key focus, with sessions on GHG emission reduction through ICT and advancing Net Zero targets using AI-driven edge systems. Participants also explored the role of IoT and digital twins in human-centric city management, the impact of EU regulations on smart city services like healthcare and autonomous driving, and the convergence of AI, GenAI, and immersive technologies to optimise resources, reduce carbon footprints, and support sustainable, energy-efficient applications across sectors.
Our team at the forefront
Our CEO, Dr. Tanya Suarez, delivered a keynote and co-presented the INSTAR Standards Project, reinforcing Europe’s leadership in global ICT standardisation, together with Damir Filipovic. Agathe Dizengremel showcased the CEI-Sphere project, while Liuba El Hadi Hamed presented the Connecting Women in Digital initiative, highlighting our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity.
In recognition of our efforts, BluSpecs was honoured with the AIOTI Certificate of Recognition 2025 for our outstanding contribution to AIOTI’s strategic priorities and projects, a moment that underscores the meaningful impact of our work.
Where does the conversation continue?
AIOTI Days is not just a standalone event. Two co-located gatherings broaden the impact:
- GIECS 2025: a scientific conference where researchers share cutting-edge findings in digital transformation.
- Open Source Community Day: organised by the Eclipse Foundation, this forum connects EU-funded projects with the open-source ecosystem.
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