Deloitte expands in Milan by opening new spaces, one dedicated to research and one to art. But let’s go in order. The first is Solaria Space, the new hub created by Deloitte and entirely dedicated toGenerative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). An initiative that represents a strategic step in the global roadmap of the consulting giant, which is ready to invest more than $3 billion by 2030 on precisely this type of technology. The launch of the new space, which is located within the Deloitte Campus in the heart of the Lombard capital, was attended by leading institutional and academic figures and provided the occasion for the presentation of the paper Generative Tomorrow. The Future Unveiled, starring GenAI.
The study signed by Deloitte outlines prospects that, according to the multinational, are extremely promising for the adoption of GenAI in Italy: in the medium to long term, large companies with a turnover of more than 50 million euros and at least 250 employees could record an increase in value of between 149 and 446 billion euros. Widespread adoption of generative AI could also lead to an estimated 5 percent to 15 percent increase in operating margins.
“AI and GenAI,” says Fabio Pompei, ad of Deloitte Italy, “are disruptive technologies, destined to profoundly change the economy and society as a whole: European companies must also seize the opportunities of this great transformation. At Deloitte we are aware of the importance of this challenge and, for this reason, our network has decided to invest more than $3 billion on GenAI by 2030. Through expertise, strategic vision and system capacity, we want to help bridge the Italian technology gap and foster a profound transformation of the business fabric. It is within this strategy that we have created Solaria Space, a place designed to support the competitiveness of Italian companies and accompany them in this unprecedented technological transition.”
“Today’s companies,” adds Lorenzo Cerulli, Partner and GenAI Leader at Deloitte, “will have to face a new type of competitor: GenAI-native companies. These arise already structured around generative artificial intelligence, integrating it from the start into processes, decisions and business models. More agile and scalable, they represent a challenge that requires traditional companies to make a rapid cultural and strategic leap.”
At the sector level, the highest potential is found in the financial and energy sectors, with estimated values between 33 billion and 99 billion euros for the former and between 22 billion and 67 billion euros for the latter. According to survey data conducted by Deloitte, 78 percent of companies plan to increase investment in GenAI in 2025. Seventy-four percent of those who have already invested say they have achieved a return equal to or greater than expected, and two out of three companies report an ROI greater than 30 percent.
However, the diffusion of artificial intelligence in Italy is still relatively limited: only 8.2 percent of companies with at least 10 employees use AI technologies, a percentage significantly lower than the EU27 average of 13.5 percent. Even more worrying is the data on innovation governance: only 17 percent of corporate boards regularly discuss AI, while as many as 66 percent of board members say they have limited expertise on the topic.
The opening of Solaria Space in Milan follows the launch of a similar space in Rome last April and is part of a broader strategy pursued by the Deloitte network globally. The space is conceived as an experiential environment, open to companies, startups and public administrations, to test GenAI solutions developed by the company.
To support Solaria Space, Deloitte has also activated a Center of Excellence for GenAI, led by Lorenzo Cerulli and built in collaboration with top technology partners such as NVIDIA, Google Cloud, AWS, IBM and Meta. The center’s team consists of digital transformation experts, system architects, analysts, software developers and prompt engineers, with specific expertise in optimizing interactions with generative models.
Concurrently with the opening of Solaria Space, Deloitte also opened its Gallery, a new exhibition space housed in the deconsecrated church of San Paolo Converso, overlooking Corso Italia. The Gallery’s debut came with the installation Liturgica, signed by visual artist Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, which blends elements of the sacred tradition with contemporary digital languages and AI technologies, and thus offers a reflection on the role of GenAI in contemporary culture and aesthetics.
"Liturgical,“ Lo Schiavo explains, celebrates not the autonomy of the machine, but the responsibility and power of the human being in shaping it, directing its course, and assuming the authorship of its own future. Like water, AI has no will: we are the ones who build the ships, who choose how to cross it.”
Solaria Space and the Gallery represent two key pieces of the new Deloitte Campus, located between Via Santa Sofia and Corso Italia. The campus is housed within a 1950s real estate complex designed by architects of the caliber of Gio Ponti, Antonio Fornaroli and Piero Portaluppi, now redeveloped by PIMCO Prime Real Estate, asset manager of the Allianz Group, with the support of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The office is now home to 6,500 of Deloitte’s 14,000 professionals in Italy.
The Campus covers an area of 48,000 square meters, more than 1,000 of which are dedicated to green spaces. It is Nearly Zero Energy Building certified and boasts the prestigious LEED Platinum, WELL Platinum and WiredScore Gold certifications. Interior design was handled by DEGW, Lombardini22’s business unit, in collaboration with Deloitte’s Real Estate department. Interventions included space planning, acoustic design, visual identity and finishes, according to a multidisciplinary approach focused on environmental sustainability and occupant well-being.
The inaugural event was attended by numerous personalities from the institutional, academic and business worlds. In addition to Lorenzo Cerulli, Deloitte’s GenAI Leader, there were Corriere della Sera journalist Riccardo Luna, Artificial Intelligence Ethics lecturer Benedetta Giovanola, European Commission Vice President Raffaele Fitto, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, Senate Vice President Licia Ronzulli, and Deloitte Central Mediterranean Ceo Fabio Pompei. Prominent industry and technology figures such as Guy Gueritz of NVIDIA, Nicola Lanzetta of Enel, Renato Mazzoncini of A2A and Victor Savevski of Humanitas were also among the guests.
With a global network that operates in more than 150 countries and employs more than 460,000 people, Deloitte is confirmed as the world leader in professional services. In Italy, the organization is present in 24 cities, with more than 14,000 professionals active in areas ranging from audit to technological transformation, via advisory, tax and legal. The company’s mission is to accompany Italian companies in the digital and ecological transition, through innovative solutions and a concrete approach to the adoption of new technologies, GenAI in primis.
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Milan, Deloitte opens a gallery in a deconsecrated church and a center for artificial intelligence |
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