CommunicationPublished on 29 November 2024

Cyber-Defence Campus Conference 2024:«Emerging and Disruptive Cyber Technologies: Quantum, Next-Gen Networks and AI»

This year’s Cyber-Defence Campus Conference was dominated by pioneering cyber technologies. More than 300 participants from the sectors of government, industry and science were present in Bern to discuss the opportunities and challenges of quantum computing, next-gen networks and artificial intelligence (AI). Inspiring keynotes, technical presentations and an exciting panel made the Conference an unforgettable meeting point for the cyber community.

This year’s Cyber-Defence (CYD) Campus Conference was held in the Kursaal in Bern on 30 October 2024. The main topic of the conference: «Emerging and Disruptive Cyber Technologies: Quantum, Next-Gen Networks and AI.»

The Conference began with a welcome address by Dr Vincent Lenders, Director of the Cyber-Defence Campus, and Dr Julian Jang-Jaccard, Programme Chair of the Conference, who set the thematic framework. The first keynote was held by Florian Schütz, Director of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), who examined the transformative role of artificial intelligence in cyber security.

Dr Heike Riel, IBM Fellow, took the participants on a journey into the world of quantum computing. Her presentation «Quantum Computing - The Path to Quantum Advantage» revealed the advances and challenges on the path to quantum supremacy and highlighted the opening of the first European IBM Quantum Data Centre.

A further highlight was offered by Dominique Gruhl-Bégin, CEO of Innosuisse, who emphasised the innovation capacity of Switzerland in the world of disruptive technologies and stressed the contribution of Swiss start-ups. Prof. Torsten Hoefler from ETH Zurich provided fascinating insights into the increasing significance of scalable systems and the transition to the age of computation.

The afternoon started with Dr Mart Noorma from the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCoE) in an intensive discussion on emerging disruptive technologies (EDTs) in defence. His remarks on international cooperation in the area of cyber security met with great interest.

Prof. Anne-Marie Kermarrec from EPFL examined the complex challenges of distributed AI systems, before Major General Simon Müller from the Swiss Armed Forces addressed the issue of the practical integration of disruptive technologies in a military context. The day’s programme was rounded off by a captivating panel discussion on quantum technologies in Switzerland with leading experts.

The Conference concluded with the award ceremony for the winner of the Cyber Start-up Challenge on the topic of artificial intelligence security, for which the start-up Patronus AI was selected to develop a proof of concept in 2025.

An inspiring conference day ended with fresh insights, innovative ideas and ample scope for networking. The Cyber-Defence Campus thanked all the participants and is looking forward to the next event.

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