The IT sector contributes more than 7% to the formation of Romania's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but only 5% of companies operating on the national market use Artificial Intelligence (AI), while less than a third of adults have digital skills, according to data with the Software and Services Industry Employers' Association (ANIS) mentioned in a press release on Monday.

According to the organisation, after a decade of accelerated growth, the IT industry in Romania is approaching an inflection point, and without a clear leap towards innovation, productivity and added value, the competitive edge built in recent years risks eroding.

'Although the sector contributes over 7% to Romania's GDP, in the national economy as a whole only 5% of companies use Artificial Intelligence, less than 20% use cloud services, and less than a third of adults have advanced digital skills. These figures define the stakes of the next decade for the Romanian economy and are the basis of the ANIS International Summit 2026, in Bucharest,' according to ANIS.

ANIS announced the organisation of ANIS International Summit 2026, which will take place on May 12, 2026, in Bucharest, under the title 'From Scale to Innovation: Romania's Next Competitive Edge,' followed by the Romanian IT Industry Excellence Awards Gala.

The summit brings together IT industry leaders, government decision-makers and international experts, in a format that is geared towards pragmatic conversations and decisions that can be translated into public policies, investments and concrete actions.

'Romania must decide whether nor not to remain in an economic model based on volume and cost or to switch to a model based on innovation. That is the conversation that ANIS International Summit 2026 brings to the forefront: the shift from growth to innovation, for greater added value,' ANIS Executive Director Corina Vasile is quoted as saying in the release.

ANIS International Summit 2026 is built as a direct response to the gap between the potential of the IT sector and its real impact on the economy, through a consistent, solution-oriented and decision-oriented agenda.

As for the IT Industry Excellence Awards Gala, the event brings to the fore measurable results, initiatives with real impact and organisations actively contributing to the maturation of the industry.

There are eight award categories: ESG Software of the Year; Innovation of the Year; Education Software of the Year; Startup of the Year; R&D Project of the Year; Software Project of the Year; Software Product of the Year; Company of the Year.

Registration is open until March 15, 2026 and is open to companies from the entire IT&C ecosystem, including those that are not ANIS members. Assessing them will be specialist panels and will follow the impact, sustainability and relevance of the results, beyond the size or notoriety of the participating companies.

ANIS is a representative organisation of the IT industry in Romania, with over 150 member companies. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Daniel Badea; EN - writing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)