START 4.0 joins Subsea Italy 2026, the international forum that on July 8-9 in Genoa brings together the digital infrastructure and subsea ecosystem. CTO Georgia Cesarone will speak in the panel dedicated to protecting critical infrastructure from hybrid and digital threats.
The digital and subsea worlds meet in Genoa. On July 8-9, 2026, the city hosts Subsea Italy 2026 – The Mediterranean Nexus, the first Italian edition of the executive forum dedicated to the Mediterranean’s digital infrastructure ecosystem. It is an event that puts submarine cables, AI-ready data centers, data sovereignty and critical infrastructure security at the heart of the debate, with START 4.0 among the event’s official partners.
Representing the Competence Center will be Georgia Cesarone, CTO of START 4.0, called to share her vision on the most sensitive topic of the moment: how to protect the infrastructure that today forms the backbone of the digital and European economy.
Where Infrastructure Meets Value
95% of intercontinental data traffic travels along cables laid on the seabed. No longer “invisible,” this infrastructure has become the new frontline of global security and economic power. This is the premise of Subsea Italy 2026, which positions the Mediterranean as the strategic nexus where subsea connectivity meets the explosion of AI data centers and the urgency of sovereign cloud.
Two days of strategic panels, keynotes and B2B networking bring together subsea and terrestrial network operators, cloud and data center providers, satellite operators, cybersecurity experts, blue economy innovators, investors and institutions. Genoa, the historic Mediterranean port, is thus positioning itself to become Europe’s sovereign digital gateway, a landing point for the new Mediterranean cable systems.
Georgia Cesarone in the “Sovereign Shield” Panel
START 4.0’s contribution is scheduled for Thursday, July 9, in the panel “The Sovereign Shield: Hardening the Nexus against Hybrid and Digital Threats”, dedicated to protecting the digital nexus from hybrid and cyber threats.
Alongside Georgia Cesarone, moderated by Brian Turnbow (ITNOG), the panel will feature Stefano Canarutto (MacArtney), Lorenzo Ariemma (Rocket Way) and Gian Marco Biagi (Cellnex). The discussion will focus on how to harden critical physical and digital assets through real-time monitoring and coordinated defense protocols — an area in which START 4.0 works daily through its cybersecurity and infrastructure security projects.
The CTO’s presence confirms START 4.0’s role as a reference point at the crossroads of digital technologies, security and the subsea world, three increasingly interconnected fields on Europe’s industrial and geopolitical agenda.
Key Topics of the 2026 Edition
The Subsea Italy 2026 agenda addresses the key nodes of the Mediterranean’s digital transformation:
- The Integrated Fabric – end-to-end orchestration of infrastructure, from subsea landing stations to terrestrial fiber backbones and the wireless edge.
- AI & Next-Gen Compute – scaling infrastructure to meet the compute density demands of the artificial intelligence revolution.
- Sovereign Cloud & Cybersecurity – ensuring data is processed and protected within trusted European frameworks.
- Blue Energy & Marine Robotics – offshore green energy and subsea technological innovation, from cable laying to underwater domain awareness.
- Geopolitical Resilience – protecting Europe’s digital and economic autonomy in an increasingly complex international scenario.
An Ecosystem Looking to the Future
With over 140 companies and organizations expected — from Microsoft to Aruba, from Open Fiber to Cellnex, from the University of Genoa to the Italian Navy — Subsea Italy 2026 stands as the leading convergence point between infrastructure, geopolitics and sustainable innovation in the EMEA region. The participation of START 4.0 and CTO Georgia Cesarone reaffirms the Competence Center’s commitment to building a more secure, sovereign and sustainable digital infrastructure.
Subsea Italy 2026 – The Mediterranean Nexus will be held on July 8-9, 2026 at the Tower Hotel Genoa Airport. START 4.0 is among the event’s official partners. Info: subseaitaly.com.