Quality assurance (QA) measures are an integral part of industrial production workflows as well as various processes in different non-industrial areas. QA permeates many processes and revolves around the technological spectrum of vision, image processing, sensor technology, measurement and testing technology, including state-of-the-art software and evaluation technology. The tradition of Control, the international trade fair for quality assurance, includes a focused thematic relevance, a high professional level and a high level of internationality. Dozens of exhibiting companies from Switzerland will also be present again. "We are delighted that around a third of the exhibitors are coming from abroad again this year," announces Fabian Krüger, Control Project Manager at trade fair organizer P. E. Schall. "The companies are currently finalizing their exhibition portfolios and will be presenting interesting innovations on the subject of quality assurance to trade visitors," says Krüger. "In Halls 3, 5, 7 and 9 of the Stuttgart exhibition center, various types of measurement technology will be presented and presented in a way that is relevant to all industries. One of the top themes is artificial intelligence (AI), the use of which will be demonstrated in many areas of the trade fair," promises Krüger.

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/fachmesse-control-2025-praxis-und-zukunftsorientiert/

Superpower Sustainable Marketing

Growing with a new marketing model.

• Birgit Berthold-Kremser, Stefanie Kuhnhen and Franziska Mozart
• Publisher: Haufe
• Publication year: 2025
• Pages: 256
• ISBN: 9783648184592

Is marketing just about selling products? Not at all. If you believe the authors of this book, marketing has the "superpower" to transform companies and even society - in the direction of sustainability and a sense of responsibility. The book shows marketing managers how they can actively shape change instead of just reacting to trends. It includes the well-known 4Ps of marketing, new KPIs and exciting perspectives on the marketing of the future. All in all, an inspiring guide for anyone who wants to combine marketing and sustainability in a meaningful way.

getAbstract rating: 9

Qualities:

• Realizable
• Systematic
• Inspiring

Leading hybrid teams successfully

This boosts team spirit and productivity when working between the office and home office.

• Alexandra Altmann
• Publisher: Wiley-VCH
• Publication year: 2024
• Pages: 272
• ISBN: 9783527511921

If you want to keep a team of people together who work partly in the office and partly remotely, you have to lead differently than before. Hybrid teams are successful when they have a strong sense of togetherness, are fit in digital communication and when results count more than presence. Online trainer Alexandra Altmann explains in detail and with lots of practical tips and examples how to form such a team and reshape your own leadership role. This is how teams can be welded together - no matter who is sitting where.

getAbstract rating: 8

Qualities:

• Comprehensive
• Realizable
• Practical examples

Crisis communication practice book

Strategies for more credibility, transparency and trust.

• Marco Cortesi and Stefan Häseli
• Publisher: Wiley-VCH
• Publication year: 2025
• Pages: 317
• ISBN: 9783527512089

Only those who are prepared will get through potential crises well. Crisis communication plays a decisive role in this. In times of multiple crises, no company can afford not to plan ahead and train its processes for the event of a crisis, say the authors of this guide. Its structure is not always stringent and much is repeated. In some places, a deeper analysis of the examples is missing. Nevertheless, the practical book is suitable as a first introduction to the important topic of crisis communication.

getAbstract rating: 7

Qualities:

• Realizable
• Practical examples
• For beginners

Clever visualization

Think, explain, inspire and guide better with Sketch4effects.

• Siegfried Bütefisch
• Publisher: BusinessVillage
• Publication year: 2023
• Pages: 184
• ISBN: 9783869807072

Sketchnotes are a simple means of visualizing ideas off the cuff. They are not an art, as graphic designer Siegfried Bütefisch emphasizes. Anyone can learn to create sketchnotes and use them to enhance their presentation. Sketchnotes are also helpful in group work to develop thoughts, explain connections and visualize goals. The author provides many practical tips and useful templates for this. With 50 exercises, he gets readers straight into action - his book becomes a sketchbook. You want to get started right away.

getAbstract rating: 8

Qualities:

• Practical examples
• For beginners
• Inspiring

On Wednesday, the country's best recruiters were chosen in Zurich and the current recruiting trends were presented to 150 guests. With outstanding results in all categories, Helsana achieved this year's overall victory, ahead of Migros Bank and Graubündner Kantonalbank.

The Best Recruiters study examined the recruiting quality of the 450 largest employers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein for the twelfth time. The results were presented for the first time by Christian Pasteka, who took over the management of the study at the beginning of 2025. His predecessor Agnes Koller will continue to act in an advisory capacity. The new Best Recruiters portal was also presented at the event, which enables companies to carry out individualized analyses and comparisons based on the study results.

The study results at a glance

While TikTok and video content continue to gain ground and usability is also making significant progress, the study results also point to clear deficits in the areas of cyber security, leadership communication and speed of response to applications.

The Best Recruiters study is particularly critical of the IT security of career websites. Only six percent of the sites surveyed are adequately protected against data breaches. In addition, loading times on mobile devices are often too long, which makes them difficult to use.

Shortcomings are also evident in the application process. A test with a fictitious inquiry from a 17-year-old about opportunities to get to know and try out the company revealed that 59% of companies did not respond. Compared to the previous year, this is a decrease of 32 percentage points.

The topic of leadership continues to play a subordinate role in recruiting. Only two percent of job advertisements contain information on leadership style, and the topic is rarely addressed on employers' career websites. Diversity within management is hardly ever made visible.

The use of video content is highlighted positively: 72% of career websites now use videos, three quarters of which provide concrete insights into everyday working life. Social media is also increasingly being used for recruiting purposes - LinkedIn remains the leader, while TikTok is gaining in importance with an increase to 17 percent. At the same time, there is still room for improvement in community management on platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram, as interaction rates are below ten percent.

The winners of the Best of Swiss Web competition lifted a total of 79 awards at the gala night in Dübendorf on Thursday evening: 11 gold, 25 silver and 43 bronze.

As the best web project of the year, "Bucher Connect Service Platform" won the title of Master of Swiss Web 2025. The project was commissioned by Bucher Municipal and developed by Eyekon and Intelliact.

The project also won three gold medals in the "Marketing", "Productivity" and "Technology" categories.

"Best of .swiss" award for Zermatt Tourism

Zermatt.swiss from Zermatt Tourism won the special "Best of .swiss" prize for the best web project with a .swiss extension. The website "invites you to enjoy a relaxing visit online by combining our six Swissness criteria of quality, innovation, design, down-to-earthness, trustworthiness and multilingualism", praised jury president Fabian Unteregger. At the heart of the site is the easy-to-use accommodation search function, which transparently rates all types of accommodation in good Tripadvisor style. "At no point do you virtually fall into a crevasse or sprain your ankle while surfing in Zermatt."

Goldbach Crossmedia Award for Arosa Tourism

The Goldbach Crossmedia Award was also presented for the eighth time as part of the Best of Swiss Web Award Night. With a multichannel strategy paired with AI, creativity and community engagement, Yoveo | Team Farner and Arosa Tourism were able to secure the gold trophy at this award night.

In the Campaign the Swiss population was asked to formulate their personal dream of a perfect vacation in the mountains. With the help of AI, over 43,000 of these submitted dreams were visualized. In a further step, various advertising subjects were prepared in a channel-optimized way and presented cross-media - on social media, as TV commercials and on cable cars, public transport buses, limited-edition stamps and bath towels.

In line with the brand promise "Arosa makes dreams come true", numerous submissions were not only visualized, but also realized. The well-known tourist destination gave away wellness weekends or après-ski experiences to all participants. Ultimately, this co-creation approach not only led to a wide range of advertising opportunities, but also lent the campaign authenticity and created a collective experience.

Silver went to the campaign "Werbung naja, Zins gut." by Bank Cler, realized by Neu Creative Agency. And bronze went to "Migros as Playmobil" from the client Migros Supermarket, realized by the Wirz Group.

The "LXmas For You" campaign by the airline Swiss, realized by MSM Digital and Tamino Productions, won the audience award donated by Goldbach. In the run-up to the Award Night, customers, agencies and all other interested parties were able to vote for their favorite campaign.

The BoSW Gold winning works at a glance

• Brand Experience: Nemo broke the trophy
• Business: Chopard - The Future of Ethical Luxury Commerce
• Creativity: WOZ - The News In The News
• Digital Commerce: Marketplace Zermatt - Matterhorn
• Innovation: democratizing the accessibility of live events
• Marketing: Bucher Connect service platform
• Performance Campaigns: The apprenticeship campaign for Gen Z
• Productivity: Bucher Connect service platform
• Public value: democratizing the accessibility of live events
• Technology: Bucher Connect service platform
• User Experience: Images of Switzerland Online

(Joël Orizet/tme/swi)

Founded in 1976, the CGI Group claims to be one of the largest independent providers of IT and business process services in the world. With 91,000 consultants and experts worldwide, CGI offers a broad portfolio of services - from strategic IT and business consulting to system integration, managed IT and business process services through to intellectual property solutions. The company notes that the outsourcing of IT services has evolved into various forms of cooperation for managed services, which have become an integral part of the modern IT landscape. However, there are still persistent myths about the alleged dangers and risks involved. According to CGI, however, they do not stand up to critical scrutiny:

1. Latent dependenciesSince the first outsourcing concepts, the term "vendor lock-in" has made IT managers' foreheads sweat. It describes the dependency on an external service provider from which there is no escape, or only a very expensive one. But as old as this term is, it is also outdated. Exit scenarios are clearly regulated in modern managed services contracts, for example with regard to data portability. They are also designed to be so flexible that any necessary adjustments to changing task profiles can be implemented quickly and jointly. Hybrid models with a clearly defined division of labor between internal IT and the managed services provider (MSP), in which critical IT components remain within the company, are also a proven means of combating dependencies.
2. Loss of control and managementIn the past, problems often arose when control functions were outsourced or not adapted to the new distribution of roles. A planned distribution of tasks, in which critical IT areas and the management and coordination of providers remain within the company, removes the fear of losing the ability to control and manage your own processes. The type of contract design is also decisive here. The service level agreements (SLAs) set out in the contracts define the type and scope of IT services in detail, while clearly regulated escalation mechanisms describe how to deal with deviations. Regular reports and constant insight into the processes also ensure the necessary transparency. In this way, companies always keep the reins in their hands and at the same time benefit from the innovative strength and scaling advantages of external service providers.
3. Loss of internal know-howProbably the least well-founded fear is that of an outflow of internal IT expertise. In fact, the opposite is the case, and for a whole range of reasons. MSPs are not a replacement for the IT department, but an extension of it. Instead, they bring in external expertise which, if set up correctly, does not replace the company's internal know-how, but complements it with expert knowledge and best practices. This ensures a fruitful exchange through regular reviews, workshops and transparent communication channels, expands the knowledge spectrum of the IT department and also relieves it of many operational tasks. This frees up resources, allowing IT departments to concentrate on their core competencies, innovation initiatives and strategic IT planning within the company.
4. Loss of flexibility and agilityThe days when rigid, standardized contracts caused frustration are long gone. Instead, modern SLA models are designed from the outset to be highly adaptable. This makes it possible to react quickly to changing conditions or implement new ideas quickly. In addition, innovation initiatives often come from the MSPs themselves. Their quality results not least from the fact that they are always at the forefront of technological development - they must therefore be geared towards flexibility and agility per se. They are constantly researching and investing in new technologies, be it cloud computing, artificial intelligence or automation tools. Of course, the companies they work with also benefit from this.
5. Security concernsThe closer the cooperation between companies and external service providers, the more important the aspect of confidentiality and security mechanisms regarding the protection of sensitive data and information. The skepticism towards MSPs often overlooks the fact that data protection is in their own best interests. They invest at least as heavily in state-of-the-art security infrastructures and security teams as the companies themselves. Many MSPs have even turned this area of expertise into a business model in its own right and offer superior security solutions in accordance with the strictest compliance standards (ISO 27001 or GDPR, right up to solutions in the field of data protection). Sensitive data is therefore very often better protected by a specialized provider than by an internal solution.

"The myths surrounding managed service providers are the expression of an outdated understanding of IT services," explains Ralf Bauer, President CGI Germany. "Instead, modern managed services are based on the principle of cooperation at eye level. The service provider acts as a trustworthy, strategic partner that contributes its expertise without exerting pressure or taking control. Companies can only benefit from their expertise and the latest technologies they provide, while at the same time setting the direction."

Source: CGI Germany

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/fuenf-mythen-ueber-managed-services/

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in safety-critical areas, making the trustworthiness of these systems ever more important. Inadequately evaluated AI systems can cause serious social risks - from discriminatory algorithms and physical safety risks to misdiagnosis in a medical context.

Certification scheme as a bridge between technology and regulation

The Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CAI) and the Institute of Applied Mathematics and Physics (IAMP) at the ZHAW School of Engineering are jointly researching this current topic. The result is the "CertAInty" certification scheme, which provides a structured framework for the assessment of AI technologies. "The certification of AI systems by an accredited body increases trust, accelerates acceptance and enables their use in safety-critical applications," explains Ricardo Chavarriaga from the ZHAW School of Engineering. Joanna Weng, who is leading the project together with him, explains: "The CertAInty scheme bridges the gap between the abstract regulatory requirements of the EU AI Act and concrete technical methods for the assessment of AI systems."

Four core aspects of trustworthiness

The certification scheme comprises four central dimensions:

• Reliability: Reliable system performance under different conditions
• Transparency: Traceability of AI decision-making processes
• Autonomy and control: Definition of the degree of human supervision
• Safety: Avoidance of undesirable consequences in critical areas of application, for example in healthcare or autonomous transportation systems

For the reliability dimension, for example, an optimized selection was identified and validated from over 55 metrics and 95 methods. "Our certification scheme now offers a practicable methodology and a pragmatic basis for developers, companies and regulatory authorities and the responsible use of AI technologies," explains Joanna Weng.

Practical validation

The applicability of the scheme was demonstrated using several real examples, such as the AI-supported detection of construction vehicles using computer vision. The reliability of AI-supported detection was systematically evaluated against interference factors such as weather influences and image distortions.

The project is of particular importance due to the EU AI Act, which came into force on August 1, 2024 and will be fully applicable from August 2, 2026. This regulation will introduce mandatory certification for high-risk AI systems, covering precisely the dimensions addressed by CertAInty. For high-risk AI systems embedded in regulated products, an extended transition period applies until August 2, 2027. A regulatory regime is also expected in Switzerland in the near future. In addition, Swiss companies that sell their products in the EU must comply with the requirements of the EU AI Act. "The project anticipates the emerging regulatory framework and provides a methodical bridge between the requirements and practical implementation," emphasizes Chavarriaga.

The company CertX now uses the certification scheme as the basis for its services and offers a systematic and independent assessment of AI solutions in Switzerland. The results of the project were also presented at various conferences, including the Swiss Conference on Data Science 2024, where the team from the ZHAW School of Engineering won the Best Paper Award has won.

Being a leader in AI ethics assessment

For interested specialists from industry and academia, the ZHAW is offering the first multi-day course on AI assessment in May in collaboration with the IEEE Standards Association: "IEEE CertifAIEd Assessor Training" to.

Source and further information: www.zhaw.ch

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/zhaw-entwickelt-zertifizierungsschema-fuer-ki-systeme/

In ten years, Live Lab has developed from a small team into an established agency with almost 30 employees. Now it is taking the next strategic step with its expansion into the Middle East. "Dubai, Riyadh, Doha - these are places where an incredible amount is currently happening," explains co-founder Maximilian Souchay. "There is hardly a more exciting region for live communication at the moment, and we want to be right in the middle of it and help shape these developments."

The economic upturn in the Middle East is visibly characterized by tourism, events and investments in the corresponding infrastructure. The region is increasingly positioning itself as a global hotspot for business, sport and culture. Major international events are attracting audiences from all over the world and creating a growing demand for innovative live communication.

Right time

A key success factor for the expansion that had been sought for years was the right local management. In Ties Hendriks, a former Zurich resident and event expert who has been working in Dubai for years, Live Lab has found the ideal location manager.

"The region is one of the most exciting markets for events and brand experiences," says Hendriks. "The Middle East is a global hub for creativity and innovation - and I'm looking forward to establishing Live Lab here and setting new standards together with local and international partners."

International orientation with a clear goal

With the expansion, the agency now has the opportunity to provide customers in the region with even more targeted support and to further expand its own position on the international market. One example of this is Expo 2025 in Osaka, where Live Lab has a team on site all year round to support various projects.

Ethical innovation is becoming increasingly important. Ethical innovation describes the ability of companies to integrate values and principles into their business models and at the same time further develop their competitiveness. It is not just about complying with legal requirements, but actively making a positive contribution to society. This is what Werner von Allmen, CEO of the Swiss Excellence Forum, writes in the introduction to the conference brochure. Ethical behavior can not only be understood as a moral duty, but also brings other tangible benefits, von Allmen continues. Companies that are aware of their responsibility and actively assume it also enjoy a higher level of trust and loyalty among customers, employees and investors, which leads to a competitive advantage in the long term.

Renowned speakers - and visionaries

This year's program of the Future Leadership Forum on 7 May 2025 is also to be understood in this sense. Thomas Schori, founder and CEO of Tide Ocean SA, will present his company's innovative 3-pillar ethics program. Philosopher and publicist Isolde Charim will speak via online link about the paradoxes of today's economy. Philipp von Michaelis, CEO Global Clearance Solutions AG, and his companies are committed to security and the restoration of habitats worldwide - including through the removal of landmines. In his presentation, he will introduce these activities and then talk about moral compasses and sustainable leadership in the subsequent panel discussion together with Mirjam Brach, Managing Director of Schweizer Paraplegiker Forschung AG and Prof. Dr. Michael Hengarter, President of the ETH Board.

Swiss Ethics Award 2025: The nominees

The Swiss Ethics Award will also be presented as part of the Future Leadership Forum. A jury has nominated five outstanding projects for the Swiss Ethics Award 2025 that stand out for their ethical responsibility and innovative strength:

• 1001 Organic - The Honest Flavor. The company stands for first-class spices directly from Zanzibar and for ethical trade with local spice farmers.
• E. Schellenberg Textildruck AG: Innovative technologies for sustainable textile production
• Lonza Group AG: Responsible procurement
• Max Felchlin AG: Healthcare at the origin of cocoa
• mymyio GmbH: CircularOffice - Revolution through circular economy

The Swiss Ethics Award recognizes ethical projects in business. All of these projects are examples of how companies assume responsibility in a special way and are committed to sustainable and value-oriented corporate management.

Further information and registration for the event: https://www.swiss-excellence-forum.ch/de/events/swiss-ethics-award-2025

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/wo-visionaere-die-zukunft-gestalten/

Sieber&Partners is expanding its management team with Gabriela Eymann. She brings more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry and specializes in digital transformation, change management and the public sector. She has been a Transformation Consultant and Head of Project Consulting at Sieber&Partners since 2018.

"The promotion of Gabriela Eymann is an important step for our company. She not only brings with her extensive knowledge, but also strong skills in leading people and organizations through change processes," says Luigi Caracciolo, CEO of Sieber&Partners.

With this personnel decision, the company is underlining its position as a consultancy for digital transformation and innovative strategies.

It feels like there are almost more award shows in the Swiss marketing and advertising industry than there are mountains in Switzerland. From podcasts, cookie box design, "advertiser of the year" and shopping apps to influencers, just about everything is now being recognized. But which is the best award?

To do this m&k and is launching "The Best Swiss Awards", an award show that aims to give the awards per se a stage. "An award for awards was long overdue," says Karin Estermann, co-owner of the creative agency Inhalt und Form and co-initiator of TBSA. "Finally, the awards themselves are getting the recognition they deserve."

Participation is now open. We are looking for the best entries in the categories "Best Award Show", "Best Diverse Award Show", "Best Award Design", "Best New Award Show Category", "Best Award Show Party", "Best Award Show Acceptance Speech", "Award Show Evergreen", "Best Jury Freakout", "Best Vetterli Economy", "Best Award Show Gossip" and the supreme discipline "Best Casefilm". We are also looking for critical thought leaders for the interdisciplinary expert jury.

"The Best Swiss Awards" recognizes relevant, innovative award concepts and the most creative entries. The aim is to highlight the importance of awards for the Swiss marketing and advertising industry and to give the sponsors a platform. The jury selects the best projects based on eleven categories, ignoring the fact that this is, of course, a harmless April Fool's joke.

The SLK is the self-regulatory body of the communications industry and monitors compliance with the rules for fair commercial communication.

With 221 complaints procedures in 2024, the SLK has reached a new high. A record of 124 proceedings had already been recorded in 2023, but the 200 mark has now been exceeded for the first time. A major factor in this increase was a controversial billboard advertisement by a brothel operator, against which around 100 complaints were received - 70 of them in a single day. The accusation was sexism. The complaints will be dealt with in the first half of 2025.

If this wave of submissions is deducted, the number of complaints procedures remains at the 2023 level. In the long term, the average is around 100 cases per year. The leisure, tourism, hotel and catering sector accounted for the most complaints in 2024 (12.3 %), followed by food and beverages and services and administration (10.9 % each). There was an increase in the areas of trade, industry and services, while mail order, food and home & garden declined.

In the media sector, a third of complaints (33.3 %) related to online advertising, followed by direct marketing (22.6 %) and out-of-home advertising (12.5 %). Social media and product labels were also the subject of proceedings. In terms of content, most complaints concerned misleading advertising, which accounted for 39.6 % of all cases. This also included complaints about greenwashing, i.e. questionable environmental promises. Sexism was the subject of 12.3 % of cases, while aggressive sales methods (21.6%) were on the decline.

More than half of the appeals submitted (52.8 %) were upheld, 34.7 % were rejected and the Boards were unable to hear 12.5 % of the cases. All appeals were rejected. The SLK emphasizes that appeals are often filed with the aim of forcing a reconsideration, which is not the purpose of the procedure.

In addition, public and media interest in the work of the SLK is increasing. In 2024, over 50 media inquiries were received from all parts of the country. Questions about influencer marketing and the transparent labeling of commercial partnerships were particularly frequent. The use of artificial intelligence in advertising and greenwashing were also recurring topics. The SRF format "10 to 10", for example, was dedicated to the question of how AI is used and declared in advertising.

Individual exemplary decisions of the SLK are in the activity report to read.

New AI, cloud and IT solutions are constantly coming onto the market. However, companies need to plan carefully how they want to use these innovations. Unisys recently announced the Top IT Insights that will determine the future of new technologies. These insights illustrate the short-term potential of new technologies and show how managers can use them for long-term growth.

1. natural language is playing an increasingly important role in the interaction between AI and humans

The focus is shifting from training people to use AI to teaching AI to understand people. This is a significant change that will enable companies to use conversational approaches when interacting with AI tools. There will also be more voice and gesture-based interfaces that make AI more intuitive and accessible across devices.

2. small language models and edge computing are the next stage of development

Contrary to the motto "bigger is better", smaller specialized AI models in business applications are often more efficient than large ones. To ensure the right AI-powered models are used, organizations should identify when fast, local AI processing is required and when edge computing solutions are needed to protect sensitive data. Edge deployment, for example, can reduce the organization's costs while improving security and latency. These solutions provide more accurate outcomes for organizations to meet their unique requirements.

3. the hybrid cloud is on the rise

The cloud-first era is changing as rising costs are causing companies to re-evaluate the benefits of on-premises solutions. The focus is on the comparison between cloud costs and business value. Decisions need to be made as to which workloads should be operated locally and which in the cloud. Clear criteria for future migration decisions are becoming more important, while strategic infrastructure management and in-depth expertise are becoming increasingly important in the face of rising cloud costs.

4 Post-quantum cryptography: from theory to practice

Data stolen today could be decrypted by quantum computers tomorrow, which is why quantum-safe encryption is necessary. It is important to start implementing post-quantum cryptography standards, identify systems that need quantum-safe encryption, and create timelines for cryptography updates.

5. young professionals are the role model for an AI-supported workforce

Younger employees are "digital natives" and are often more comfortable with new technologies such as AI. It is important to continue hiring entry-level employees to attract digital talent, develop AI training programs and create mentoring opportunities that encourage the adoption and use of this technology. Success comes from combining new perspectives with proven expertise. Young talent is critical to continued growth.

6 The sweet spot for hybrid work is three days

The ideal office schedule is neither fully mobile nor fully present, but includes three days of presence. Hybrid work schedules should be structured around these three office days, designing spaces for collaboration and increasing virtual integration tools. A balance between face-to-face interaction and flexible remote working is crucial to optimize productivity and employee retention. Office spaces should be redesigned to maximize collaboration on in-person days.

7 Energy-efficient AI becomes a competitive advantage

Digitalization, rapid advances in AI technology and slow improvements in energy efficiency have significantly increased the demand for data centers, which has a significant impact on global energy markets. The demand for data centers in Europe will continue to increase. According to a recent Study the demand for data centers in Europe will increase to around 35 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, compared to 10 GW today. To meet this new IT demand, investments of more than 250 to 300 billion US dollars will be needed in data center infrastructure to meet this demand. However, the increasing energy consumption of AI could become a significant burden if efficiency is not improved. It is important to measure the energy consumption of AI, research efficient model architectures and consider sustainability when making decisions about AI deployment. With rising IT costs and energy requirements, efficiency is critical.

8 Global standards will shape the future of AI compliance

Companies need to localize AI operations to meet regional data requirements, bucking the trend towards cloud globalization. AI governance frameworks need to be implemented, regional data sovereignty requirements considered and clear employee guidelines for AI usage established. Robust compliance strategies are required due to varying global regulations. A flexible, region-specific approach to AI governance and data management is required.

Conclusion: clear technological vision required

These eight insights show that technological developments require both short-term action and long-term strategies. Companies are facing a crucial phase in which AI is becoming increasingly intuitive, IT architectures are becoming more complex and working models are evolving. These changes bring both opportunities and challenges.

The right balance between innovation and stability is important. If companies act too hesitantly, they risk being left behind. However, if they act too quickly and without careful planning, they risk their future viability. A clear technological vision and the ability to respond flexibly to change are crucial to future success in the dynamic business world.

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/technologie-im-wandel-it-insights-fuer-2025/