Executive Lunch with Mr. Roman Sioda, NVIDIA

The event addressed the growing importance of developing local AI capacities and the supporting infrastructure necessary for sustainable digital transformation.

After the opening remarks by Andrea Doko Jelušić, Executive Director of AmCham Croatia, the program continued with an address by Mr. Igor Grdić, Regional Director for Central Europe at Vertiv, who presented how resilient digital infrastructure and advanced power and cooling technologies form the foundation of the AI revolution. His presentation highlighted Vertiv’s global expertise in enabling data centers and AI factories that support the rapid growth of high-performance computing.

The keynote address by Mr. Roman Sioda explored the concept of Sovereign AI: a strategic approach empowering nations to maintain control over their data, innovation, and technological development. Through examples from across Europe, including national AI centers and advanced AI factories, Mr. Sioda illustrated how partnerships between governments, academia, and industry can accelerate innovation, strengthen competitiveness, and ensure technological sovereignty.

The event concluded with a workshop led by Mr. Danylo Prokhorenko, NVIDIA Account Manager, offering a practical overview of accelerated computing and the building blocks of AI, including NVIDIA’s ecosystem of platforms, frameworks, and development tools.

Ultimately, the discussion underlined that sovereign AI is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of global competitiveness, enabling nations to innovate while safeguarding control over critical technologies and data. Its success, however, relies on the strength of the underlying infrastructure - secure, efficient, and scalable digital ecosystems capable of supporting next-generation computing demands. The conversation further emphasized that collaboration among business, academia, and government will be essential to building a sustainable AI environment, while strategic investment in infrastructure and skills will determine how effectively economies can translate the promise of AI into long-term growth and technological leadership.

The Executive Lunch reaffirmed AmCham Croatia’s commitment to fostering dialogue on innovation and competitiveness, connecting global expertise with Croatia’s ambition to position itself as a forward-looking digital economy.