The city of Malaga hosted the tenth edition of the Digital Enterprise Show (DES) 2026, solidifying its position as a key hub for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Europe. The event, spanning three days, brought together 17,733 international executives who explored the latest innovations in AI and other exponential technologies. According to the organizers, these technologies are driving profitability, efficiency, and sustainability across large corporations, SMEs, and public administrations.
The DES 2026 event generated an economic boost of over 30 million euros for the capital of the Costa del Sol. Furthermore, it placed the city at the forefront of the European debate on AI agents. The Digital Business World Congress, integrated within DES, featured 637 international experts who addressed crucial topics such as AI scalability, technological sovereignty, geopolitics, ethics, the construction of resilient digital infrastructures, and the role of human talent.
The event showcased a total of 706 innovations from 403 companies within the "Universo DES," a specialized ecosystem of events designed to commemorate the fair's decade. For the first time, DES included a dedicated forum on defense, reflecting the growing importance of unmanned systems and autonomous platforms in military operations.
Experts such as Guardia Civil Commander Rosalía Machín from the Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity Command, and Silvia Gamo, Director General of the Foundation for Defense and Security Technologies, discussed the new paradigm in defense. They highlighted how technologies originating from past conflicts, like the Cold War, have evolved and are now being used massively, as seen in the conflict in Ukraine. Antonio Martín, IoT Global Business Development Manager at Deutsche Telekom IoT, emphasized that the conflict landscape has completely changed and that defense must leverage civilian innovations, satellites, and new connectivity capabilities.
Specialists agreed on the need to strengthen resilience, command and control, data protection, and cooperation between the public sector, private companies, and academia. It was warned that technologies are not only transforming military operations but also attacks in the so-called "gray zone," ranging from disinformation to actions aimed at destabilizing public security. Experts from the European Space Agency and Germany's DLR GfR analyzed the role of satellites in intelligence, surveillance, and communications. Joan Mas, scientific director of the digital area at Eurecat, mentioned ongoing work in defense-related innovation, including data exploitation and quantum computing.
Nil Angli, Head of 'Business Applications and Partnerships' at the European Space Agency, stressed the importance of utilizing space assets for business resilience and data collection, which are essential for AI development. The need to enhance the security of artificial intelligence algorithms to ensure the safe inflow of information from space was also highlighted. Francisco Gallardo, a Global Navigation Satellite System engineer at the German aerospace company DLR GfR mbH, pointed out the significant initial investment required and the importance of international cooperation and space sustainability, as well as the establishment of clear policies for satellites and satellite space.
