The Port of Barcelona and the World Trade Center Barcelona (WTCB) will host the AI Summit Barcelona 2026 on September 22 and 23, one of the major European events dedicated to artificial intelligence. Over two days, the meeting will bring together more than 10,000 attendees and 200 speakers around the development and application of this technology, in an edition that places the city among the main meeting points for the AI community in Europe.
The different spaces of the World Trade Center Barcelona will gather founders, researchers, executives, and investors. The WTCB acts as the Strategic Host Partner of the event, a role linked to its profile as a business ecosystem focused on innovation and technology. The venue brings together a diverse community of companies and talent, in an environment designed for connection, collaboration, and the generation of opportunities among businesses.
The program will feature representatives from organizations such as OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Cloudflare, AWS, SAP, or J.P. Morgan, along with researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders related to this transformation. The sessions will address artificial intelligence from multiple perspectives, from technological development and the construction of new models to its business application, its economic and social impact, and the opportunities it generates. The approach comes at a time when the pace of AI development, regulation, governance, and control mechanisms are the subject of global debate.
The Port of Barcelona will participate in the program with content focused on the application of artificial intelligence and digitalization to port activities, as well as the opportunities that these technologies open up for the blue economy. David Serral, Director of Information Systems of the Port of Barcelona, will headline the session on September 22 at the Main Stage with the presentation "The Port of Barcelona: A Toolbox to Develop Your AI Projects." His intervention will showcase the tools that the institution makes available to companies and innovative projects, including open data, standalone 5G network, a sandbox, and agreements with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the AI Factory.
Emma Cobos, Director of Innovation and Strategy of the Blue Economy for the Port of Barcelona, will speak in the session "Barcelona: A Place Where Innovation Flourishes," focused on the city as a European innovation ecosystem and the role of BlueTechPort as a connection point between the blue economy, startups, businesses, and institutions.
Rubén Hernández, Head of BlueTechPort & Strategic Development, will present the vision of a hub that connects startups, large companies, research centers, and public administrations for the development of new projects and solutions at the Summit. Hernández will moderate the panel "BlueTechPort: Shaping Responsible AI for the Blue Economy," which will also feature Miquel de la Mano, Technical Director of the BCN Port Innovation Foundation; Cori Crider, Executive Director of the Future of Tech Institute; and Pablo Bou, General Director of BlueNetCat, the Catalan Network of Blue Innovation coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC).
In that session, De la Mano will provide the operational vision of how innovation is applied to port activities, Crider will focus on governance and accountability, and Bou on the transfer of marine and port research to the market. The panel will address one of the central issues of the current debate on AI: how to scale innovation without compromising responsible governance.
The World Trade Center Barcelona is now one of the business nodes from which technology, innovation, talent, and economic activity in the city are connected. Its business community, the presence of innovative technology companies, and the direct connection with the Port of Barcelona create an environment capable of generating alliances, projects, and business opportunities. As the Strategic Host Partner, the WTCB not only hosts the AI Summit Barcelona but also offers its business ecosystem, its capacity for connection, and spaces prepared to bring together more than 10,000 professionals over two days.
"At BlueTechPort, we understand innovation as a tool to transform the way we do things and generate real impact. Artificial intelligence opens new opportunities for the blue economy, but its development must be accompanied by responsibility, governance, and trust. The challenge is not just to incorporate new technologies, but to do so in a way that contributes to a more competitive and sustainable blue economy," says Rubén Hernández.
"Artificial intelligence is changing the way companies compete and grow. At the WTCB, we already connect companies, talent, and projects that are part of this transformation. Being the Strategic Host Partner of the AI Summit Barcelona allows us to take this ecosystem to a new scale and connect it with international references that play a key role in the evolution of artificial intelligence," says Carles Anglada, General Director of the World Trade Center Barcelona.
