INESC TEC takes part in high-level discussion on digital and energy transition at Stanford University

Portugal and the United States of America (USA) came together to discuss the digital and energy transition, bringing academia, industry, regulatory bodies and policymakers from both countries to a closed-door seminar at Stanford (California). INESC TEC was present, represented by Luís Seca, member of the Board of Directors.

The event, Powering the Digital Transition in Portugal and in California, was co-organised by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and the Consulate General of Portugal in San Francisco, and took place at the Hartley Conference Centre.

Luís Seca joined the session Portugal as a Testbed for Sustainable Innovation, moderated by Inês Azevedo, a faculty member at Stanford University, where he discussed Portugal’s growing role as a strategic platform for sustainable innovation in digital infrastructure. He shared the floor with the Chief Marketing Officer of Start Campus, Omer Wilson, and Microsoft’s Director of Government Strategy for EMEA, Manuel San Martin, in a debate that brought together complementary perspectives from academia, industry and the global technology sector.

The seminar addressed some of today’s most pressing challenges: the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence on electricity demand, infrastructure’ needs in terms of energy, water and finance, and emerging data centre policies in Portugal and California. In 2024, data centres accounted for approximately 4.4% of total electricity consumption in the U.S.A. and 3% in Europe – figures that underline the relevance of the discussion.

According to Luís Seca, INESC TEC’s participation in this discussion proves “the international recognition of the institution as a leading player in research and innovation when it comes to energy and the digital transition.”

Bernardo Correia, the Portuguese Government’s Secretary of State for Digitalisation, and Gerard de Graaf, the European Union’s Senior Envoy for Digital Affairs in the U.S.A. also joined the event, further underscoring the political and strategic importance of the gathering.