On 22 May 2026, Catania hosted the second edition of CATAN.IA – AI in Action, the event organised by Datapizza and Aitho with the aim of establishing a concrete reference point for AI-driven innovation in Southern Italy. IT4LIA AI Factory participated in the event as main sponsor.
A Day of Real Exchange
The venue was the Vecchia Dogana Hub, in the historic centre of Catania. The programme combined main stage talks, technical workshops and networking sessions, bringing together companies, startups, researchers, investors and industry professionals. The common thread running through the day: moving artificial intelligence out of the laboratory and into business and educational processes, with a focus on practical application over theory.
One of the highlights of the 2026 edition was the AI Student Challenge, aimed at students from Sicilian upper secondary schools, who were tasked with developing a working web application to solve real-world problems. The award ceremony took place on stage during the event.
IT4LIA’s Presence
IT4LIA AI Factory was represented by Fiorenza Succu, Chief Evangelist at AI4I, and Elisabetta Trasatti, Strategic Projects Associate at AI4I, who brought the vision and practical tools of the national AI Factory to the event. Throughout the day, they presented the large-scale HPC infrastructure optimised for AI workloads, the services available to companies, startups, researchers and public bodies, and the support pathway IT4LIA offers — from initial assessment through to the development of concrete use cases.
Also presented on the day was SUK — System User Knowledge, the service developed by AI4I that connects organisations with the AI solution providers best suited to their needs.
Why Catania, Why the South
CATAN.IA is part of a broader effort: nurturing local talent and building a technology ecosystem in Southern Italy. For IT4LIA, taking part in an event of this kind reflects a coherent mission: the national AI Factory is designed to make artificial intelligence accessible to organisations that lack extensive internal resources — SMEs, startups, public bodies — by providing infrastructure, training and specialist support within a European, sovereign framework.
The message IT4LIA brought to Catania is the same one that drives its daily work: artificial intelligence is not the exclusive domain of large organisations. With the right resources, it is accessible, scalable and strategic.
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