Mar 29, 2026
3 min read
The international event organized by MedisDIH and managed by Pentastudio will take place tomorrow, March 27th at 9:30 at the Fiera del Levante Congress Center.
The future of digital infrastructure and data center development goes through Puglia: in fact, investments in data center infrastructure announced or already under development in Puglia amount to around 100 billion euros, one of the Italian regions that is growing the fastest in terms of attracting capital dedicated to large digital platforms and advanced computing systems.
We will talk about tomorrow March 27, at 9.30, at the Fiera del Levante conference center in Bari, on the occasion of the "Mediterranean Data Center Forum", an international event focused on data management and strategies for the development of data centers in the Mediterranean region.
Promoted by MedisDIH, the Regional Mechatronics Area of Puglia and the Digital Innovation Center and organized by Pentastudio, the event was recently included in the calendar of events for the National Day of Made in Italy - created by MIMIT to enhance and promote Italian creativity and skills - Ministry of Business and Madeform in Italy, Municiac Association, Pugliiac Association. Confindustria Bari-BAT, Polytechnic University of Bari, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Industrial Development Zone of Bariassociation and companies Namex and Smart Faber.
The reference context confirms the relevance of the comparison: the global data center market reached a value of 347.6 billion dollars in 2024 (source: Grand View Research) with an annual growth of 11.1% until 2030;In Italy, it is projected to grow in parallel to today's value of $5.7 billion (source: IMARC 2024).As the Milan area is close to saturation, Puglia is a candidate to become the new center of the Mediterranean due to several characteristics: high production of renewable energy, the presence of major submarine cable pipelines in the Mediterranean, low seismic risk, research centers and advanced technical skills, as well as the high number of suitable areas identified in the specific region.
The event will be complemented by a roundtable discussion, which aims to bring together international service providers, investors, institutions and technology companies to explore opportunities in the sector, supply and demand, data center manufacturers and potential users.After the introduction of Michele Ruta, President of MedisDIH, the opinions were as follows: Donatella Proto, Director General of New Basic Technologies of MIMIT, Advisor of Economic Development and Labor of the Puglia Region, Bari Vito Lecce, and Francesco Cupertino, President of the IEST Foundation.They provide an in-depth reading of the challenges
Digital sovereignty, regional geospatial opportunities and the value of knowledge in building new critical infrastructures.
This will be followed by a round table, moderated by Luca Baldin, director of Smart Building Italia, dedicated to the design and construction of data centers that will allow us to analyze the expectations of the South from a performance point of view, starting with the testimony of workers in the sector.The morning ended with an in-depth analysis of how Puglia's energy would like to attract investment and the creation of green and carbon neutral data centers, as well as the words of the world of education and the directors of The University of Bari and the Polytechnic Faculty of Bari, respectively Roberto Belotti and Umberto Fratino, together with the President of B World Industrial April and Mario.
"Through this conference - announced Michel Ruta, professor of the Polytechnic of Bari and president of MedisDIH - we want to transform the local profession into a concrete plan, opening decision-making sites based on measurable sustainability, flexibility of connections, skills and collaboration between institutions, business and research.
Luca Baldin, CEO of Pentastudio, added: "This forum was created to truly respond to the growing demand for digital infrastructure, with the aim of making a decisive contribution to the development of Puglia as a new innovation hub in the Mediterranean, without forgetting environmental sustainability. In fact, it is necessary to locate the construction of new data centers in abandoned industrial areas: where there is already infrastructure, vibrant connections,
which can be transformed without consuming another country and transformed into platforms with increased value."
In the afternoon, the forum will consider the value of this gift ecosystem, addressing key issues in supporting infrastructure such as energy, land, connectivity and incentive systems, and then providing a large space for sustainability, which is now so important in the energy transition of data centers.This will be an opportunity to evaluate advanced technical solutions and specific cases that can combine performance and environmental impact, as well as the contributions of major domestic and international players.
