Economic AI and HPC Forum: A Step Toward Anorganic Intelligence in Opatija
- Apr 28
- 2 min read
The Croatian AI Association (CroAI) and MIPRO are proud to announce the Economic AI and HPC Forum (STEP-AI Forum), taking place on May 27, 2026, at the Grand Hotel Adriatic Congress Centre in Opatija.
This forum is a strategic flagship dialogue designed to operationalize European AI and HPC strategies by connecting policy intent with industrial deployment and economic impact. The focus of this year’s meeting is Anorganic Intelligence – the next evolutionary layer beyond conventional AI, enabling autonomous, system-level intelligence embedded directly into digital infrastructure.
What to expect in Opatija?
Through a series of plenary presentations and discussions, leading national and European experts will tackle the most pressing topics of today:
From AI Policy to Economic Reality: Andrea Čović Vidović (European Commission) provides insights into how strategic autonomy and digital transformation are reshaping Europe’s business landscape.
Infrastructure and Ecosystems: Anders Dam Jensen, Executive Director of EuroHPC JU, will present opportunities for networking and utilizing supercomputers to boost competitiveness.
Industrial AI at Scale: Damir Prusac (Infobip) will discuss the journey from simple connectivity to the intelligent infrastructure driving modern industry.
Tools and Business Models: Experts from CROZ, Own.Solutions, InfoDom, and FOI will present practical methodologies for AI application development and innovative business models for the AI economy.
The program kicks off with a grand opening ceremony and the presentation of the "Tesla's Beacon of Knowledge" award to Nobel Laureate John Martinis and Infobip. Alongside the all-day AI Factory and Antenna poster exhibition, we will wrap up the day the best way we know how – with informal networking at our cocktail party.
Registration and Fees
Special registration fees are available for members of the CroAI and MIPRO communities:
CroAI / MIPRO / IEEE members: €160
Regular price: €200
(The fee includes access to the opening ceremony, the Forum, and the cocktail party).
We invite you to explore the detailed forum program, the full list of speakers, and thematic sessions in the official document:
Registration is available via the MIPRO portal. We recommend securing your spot by May 15th.
See you in Opatija!
