Global CxOs prioritize responsible and trusted AI at ITU Industry Roundtable in Munich

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

High-level global industry executives has met with senior leadership of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau in Munich to align on industry priorities and standardization needs as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly central to the evolution of networks and data centre ecosystems. The roundtable, hosted by Rohde & Schwarz, emphasized performance, resilience, environmental sustainability, security and trust as the leading focus areas shaping next-generation infrastructure.

Participants underscored the critical role of standards in ensuring responsible AI adoption, enabling frameworks for ethics, governance, data integrity, safety, interoperability, certification and policy alignment to support large-scale deployment. Industry leaders noted that standards development must evolve in parallel with innovation to ensure that data centres and AI platforms grow sustainably, efficiently and within a circular economy model.

CxOs highlighted the need for transparent and explainable AI within AI-native networks and the urgency of standards development for trusted agent-based AI and secure computing at the network edge. With AI transforming data centre workloads, executives called for standards around energy-efficient compute scaling, interconnection and synchronization across multiple facilities, and closer collaboration between telecom networks and power grids to enable renewable-powered expansion.

The meeting also stressed the importance of standards supporting non-terrestrial networks to drive universal access, direct-to-device connectivity and resilient communications during emergencies.

Discussions explored new evaluation methodologies to assess resilience and performance of emerging applications such as XR and enhanced media services, while welcoming forward-looking studies on quantum sensing and future UHD media frameworks.

The roundtable reaffirmed the need for inclusive standards processes that reflect all regions and market segments. India will host the next CxO Roundtable at the Indian Mobile Congress in 2026.