Tech Takeaways from the 2026 Munich Security Conference

In line with world events, technology was a big topic at the 2026 Munich Security Conference (MSC), which was held at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich. Two panels were devoted to artificial intelligence (AI) and AI was also the main topic of this year’s MSC Innovation Night.

Photo by Anastasiya Dalenka on Unsplash

Major themes of AI discussions

The discussions of AI were wide-ranging. Experts spoke about the need for different types of regulation, applications of AI in the military, evolving cybersecurity and geopolitical contexts, and the intersection of domestic politics with AI innovation, as well as the evolving relationship between humans and technology. Some major themes included:

• AI security and innovation as the discussion priorities, followed by regulation. Energy and digital infrastructure were less prominent topics.

• The necessity of international coordination to ensure AI develops in a responsible way, although discussions noted that coordination is also unlikely, as economic and political competition makes it hard for the US and China to collaborate.

• The alarming pace of AI technology development and changes in the regulatory and scientific contexts that will be necessary to ensure humanity continues to benefit from this technology. 

• How different parts of the world are facing very different AI challenges. The US and China continue to be clear leaders but confront unique domestic challenges. Europe lacks strategy and investment but possesses the technological and engineering talent to benefit and even lead in AI. The Global South is optimistic about the benefits of AI and may work together to ensure their interests are considered in global AI discussions.

Detailed overview of data center-relevant discussions at the 2026 Munich Security Conference

Panel Discussion: “Outsmarting Ourselves? Risks and Rewards of the AI Race”

This panel featured comments from Google’s President of Global Affairs Kent Walker, US Senator Christopher Murphy, the European Commission’s Executive VP for Tech Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen, the Chinese Former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Fu Ying, and University of Montreal AI Professor Yoshua Bengio. It was moderated by Georgetown University’s Executive Director of the Center for Security and Emerging Technologies, Helen Toner.  

Setting the scene for the panel, Professor Bengio noted that data centers gave us the potential to create “a country of geniuses.” Whether this is good for the world will depend on what those (AI) geniuses do and whether humans can control them or direct their activities. Google President Walker agreed about the potential benefits of investing in AI and data centers, but underlined that these investments must become more sustainable and much of that responsibility should lie with private companies. Prof. Bengio was skeptical that corporate responsibility would be sufficient. He, Senator Murphy, and Minister Fu pointed to international dialogue as crucial and worried it would not come soon enough to address today’s technological risks. Commissioner Virkkunen addressed international cooperation in the context of digital infrastructure, saying the latter was a European priority and collaborating with like-minded partners would be crucial to European success. Finally, Senator Murphy cautioned that political developments in the US, including lobbying and the preferences of the current administration, meant there was currently a “US moratorium on domestic and global regulation,” which would make it hard for the US to be that partner for Europe. 

Strategic Algorithms: Winning the AI Arms Race

This year’s MSC Innovation Night brought together key actors from the military, private sector and government to discuss the development and application of diverse AI technologies. A main topic across all of these discussions and interviews was how Europe can develop and execute a strategy to build its own AI capabilities. Most of the comments focused on ideas for boosting innovation (e.g., policies enabling cross-border data sharing or turning soldiers into AI innovators). There were additional discussions of how much spending and regulation were necessary and the implications of having too much or too little of each. 

The only direct discussion of data centers or the energy required for AI training was by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Dr. Schmidt noted that the US will need 90 GW of additional power to support AI’s expansion in the coming years. US real estate developers perceive this as a financial opportunity and will focus on building data centers on the US’s plentiful farmland for years to come. While Europe has some energy advantages – such as excessive (if expensive) nuclear capacity in France and a potential Gigawatt factory in Bulgaria – Dr. Schmidt said it currently lacks the energy capacity to scale its AI innovation industry. He recommended building data centers in the Middle East to power Europe’s non-military AI innovation and gathering top British and European engineers to solve the problem of how to generate enough energy for European military AI.