Opening Future Day was held today at OGR Torino, the innovation and contemporary culture hub newly renovated by Fondazione CRT. The event was promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo, Google Cloud and Noovle, TIM Group's cloud company, to take stock of digital technology as an element of social inclusion and a driver of economic and employment recovery.
The initiative, which is part of the project launched by the three partners last July to foster the development of digital skills and national development, was an opportunity to examine the process of technology distribution across the country and the market opportunities locally and nationally.
The event was attended by, among others, the President of the Piedmont Region, Alberto Cirio, the Councillors of the Piedmont Region, Andrea Tronzano, (Budget, Finance, Economic and Financial Planning, Heritage, Development of Production and Small and Medium Enterprises) and Matteo Marnati (Environment, Energy), Councillor Chiara Foglietta (Ecological and Digital Transition and Mobility City of Turin), Gian Maria Gros-Pietro, Chairman of Intesa Sanpaolo, Salvatore Rossi, Chairman of TIM Group, Samuel Bonamigo, Vice President, Sales, EMEA South, Google Cloud, Stefano Geuna, Rector of the University of Turin, and professors from the University of Turin, Aldo Geuna and Francesco Ramella.
During the proceedings, a round table discussion was held to address the issue of the Cloud, attended by Carlo d'Asaro Biondo, Noovle CEO, Fabio Fregi, Country Manager Italy, Google Cloud, and Massimo Proverbio, Chief IT Digital and Innovation Officer of Intesa Sanpaolo.
During the conference, the University of Turin presented its research entitled "The economic and employment impact of Data Centres in Turin", with an estimate of the impact generated by the creation of a new Cloud Region in Piedmont and an analysis of the level of digitalisation of the region's production and business fabric, understood as an increase in new cloud services and digital skills.
The study shows that the digitalisation of the productive fabric as a result of the Data Centres will generate about €1.7 billion in Piedmont and about 30,000 new jobs thanks to the combined effect of investments and the increased productivity of companies that will migrate to the new digital services. Overall, the investment alone in the construction and operation of the three data centres will generate economic benefits of €1.3 billion and create around 21,000 new jobs. In addition, there is a further €400 million generated by increased productivity and spending on technology services by companies, which is estimated to generate another 4,000 to 7,000 new jobs.
During the event, the establishment of the Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Development Centre of Excellence was also announced, a centre created as part of the Opening Future project dedicated to the development and coworking of solutions accelerated by artificial intelligence and enabling technologies and located within OGR Tech, the branch of OGR Torino devoted to applied research and business acceleration.
"Digital skills are a fundamental resource for people and businesses, for finding a new job and for enhancing one's own activity. This is why we have been committed to spreading them throughout our country for years", said Fabio Fregi, Country Manager Italy, Google. "We are delighted to continue working with Intesa Sanpaolo and Noovle on the Opening Future project and related initiatives. Through these activities and through the opening of the Italian Cloud Regions, Google will continue to support the economic growth of the community and the country".
"The initiatives presented during the first Opening Future Day show how the partnership started by Intesa Sanpaolo, TIM and Google is moving in the right direction", underlined Massimo Proverbio, Chief IT, Digital & Innovation Officer of Intesa Sanpaolo. "The research presented by the University of Turin highlights the great potential for growth in digital technology in one of the country's most productive areas and, at the same time, estimates an economic impact of great value in terms of wealth as well as employment. The critical issues highlighted by the study, i.e. low IT employment and weak e-skills, are a further stimulus to accelerate the spread of digital tools among businesses and households. The opening of the Opening Future Centre is one of the first steps in the process begun with TIM and Google and aims to boost the region's economy by enhancing local professionalism and skills. Impacts that are this positive for the community are an exceptional complement to what Intesa Sanpaolo can achieve by opening a cloud node in Turin. Thanks to the proximity of this infrastructure to Moncalieri, Intesa Sanpaolo will be able to accelerate the renewal of its IT solutions in the cloud and reap the associated benefits of time to market, simplification and cost reduction".
"The cloud represents a unique opportunity for the growth of businesses and the economy in Piedmont, especially for small and medium enterprises and the public administration. This is demonstrated by the significant resources allocated to this sector by the NRRP and the pace at which this market is growing globally", stressed Carlo d'Asaro Biondo, CEO of Noovle, a TIM Group cloud company. "Alongside Google Cloud and Intesa Sanpaolo, we are ready to make an important contribution to the ongoing transformation process, thanks to a long-term strategy that places digitalisation at the service of the local economy. We believe that the digital acceleration of the productive fabric is the keystone for any growth process and, as confirmed by research carried out by the University of Turin, it is necessary to start locally. This is where excellence can be found and, thanks to the construction of the new Data Centres, we expect significant benefits in terms of revenue and employment. Furthermore, with the establishment of the Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Development Centre of Excellence, we will offer businesses and institutions all the cutting-edge solutions to ensure the growth of the local economy”.
Turin, 6 December 2021
