Antonio Arcidiacono, Director of Technology & Innovation, EBU
Intelligence impact. Let’s leave ‘artificial’ aside for a moment and consider just ‘intelligence’, and what happens when we – as individuals, teams, organizations or even countries – develop the ability to translate deep technical insight and strategic foresight into actionable outcomes. This is intelligence impact, and it will be critical for public service media (PSM) to thrive in future.
Intelligence and innovation have emerged as critical pillars supporting the continuous evolution and adaptation of PSM. An intelligence-driven methodology enables public service broadcasters across the EBU to not only navigate but anticipate technological disruptions in a fast-evolving ecosystem.
Maintaining control
Speaking at VivaTech in Paris last June, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said: “Every country must build its own intelligence infrastructure.” Cloud and AI (this time adding back the ‘artificial’) are as indispensable today as energy or telecommunications and form the backbone of this new “intelligent infrastructure”. Jensen Huang’s call resonates with the ongoing push for technological sovereignty. Decentralized systems are a crucial aspect of this, allowing countries to maintain cultural integrity and control over their technological ecosystems.
We are seeing significant steps in this direction for PSM. By building our own intelligence grids – secure, autonomous, sovereign, and tailored to local values and priorities – we create the means to have our own media factories.
VivaTech was also the location for the announcement of a partnership between the EBU and NVIDIA to develop sovereign AI and cloud technologies tailored to the unique needs of PSM. The project will see the engagement of a wide network of partners, from data centres to original equipment manufacturers, to ensure PSM can tap into cost-effective, high-performance AI while maintaining full control over their data, infrastructure and creative output.
European cloud
Another agreement announced in June, between France Télévisions and Scaleway, will see the French EBU Member using Scaleway’s cloud to host and process data related to its programming. The alliance points the way towards building an alternative European cloud for the audiovisual sector.
AI’s potential to democratize access to advanced technological tools marks a unique opportunity for creativity and productivity. By lowering barriers, AI facilitates advancements across various sectors, from media to science, while also highlighting the need for regulatory frameworks that ensure safety and accountability, particularly in public-facing applications.
By harnessing the power of cloud and AI technologies, EBU Members can redefine media production and distribution landscapes. Central to this transformation is the Dynamic Media Facility (DMF), which epitomizes the agility and flexibility needed in modern media operations. Having a seamless integration between local servers and national and public cloud infrastructures reinforces system resilience and redundancy. This transition not only supports current demands but also lays the groundwork for future innovations, such as next-generation production workflows and sustainable practices.
Collaboration needed
These topics – sovereign cloud and AI services – were high on the agenda at our 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Summit in Dublin at the start of June. An entire session dedicated to the topic focused on fostering trusted, resilient, and interoperable digital solutions, underscoring the collaboration among broadcasters, technology providers, and academia (see page 5 of Issue 65 of tech-i magazine). This collaborative effort aims to create a future-proof, ethical European media ecosystem.
As we forge ahead, the commitment to innovation, sovereignty, and sustainability will redefine the landscape of European public media, ensuring it remains a pillar of trusted and high-quality information, education and entertainment.
This article first appeared in the September 2025 issue of tech-i magazine.