Kista brings leading voices in Sweden’s space industry together at Techarena
Leading voices from industry, research, and capital gathered for the discussion The Infrastructure of Space-AI – Sweden’s Emerging Role in Europe’s Tech Resilience during Techarena.
Evelina Anttila, Elmar Trojer, Karin Holmqvist, Erik Franck, Ted Elvhage. Copyright Kista Science City.
The global space economy is growing rapidly. At the same time, Europe is sharpening its focus on technological sovereignty, secure access to space, and control over critical systems. Without a strong presence in space, Sweden risks missing out on the next major arena for tech.
Against this backdrop, leading voices from industry, research, and capital gathered for the discussion The Infrastructure of Space AI – Sweden’s Emerging Role in Europe’s Tech Resilience during Techarena. The session was moderated by investor and entrepreneur Evelina Anttila.
Participants on stage included Karin Holmqvist, Head of Space Strategy and Development at Saab; Ted Elvhage, Founding Partner at Expansion Ventures; Elmar Trojer, Research Leader at Ericsson; and Erik Franck from OHB Sweden, who replaced CTO Camille Chasset due to illness.
The capacity exists. Scaling is the question.
A central conclusion from the stage was clear: Sweden already has real capacity to build satellites and advanced space infrastructure. The expertise exists in industry, in research environments, and in the growing AI sector.
The question is how this capacity can be scaled in Europe. A Europe that is now prioritizing technological sovereignty in defense, telecom, climate monitoring, and advanced industrial control. Space AI is an enabling technology for all these areas. Satellites generate data, and AI analyzes and operationalizes it. Together, they form a strategic layer in Europe’s digital and security architecture.
From the industry perspective, speed was emphasized. Karin Holmqvist was clear in her message, which was also highlighted in a newly published article in Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.
Her call to action was direct: “Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have opened the door to space. It now stands open – and we must dare to walk through it.”
This is not about personality cults, but about understanding what rapid execution, vertical integration, and clear strategic direction can achieve in practice.
The greatest threat: standing still
In a time of rapid technological breakthroughs and shifting security realities, standing still is the greatest threat. If the direction needs adjustment, it can happen while moving – but the ecosystem must keep advancing.
Ted Elvhage was very clear during the discussion that Sweden’s space industry needed to start running “already yesterday”.
“The direction can be calibrated along the way, as progress is made.” Elvhage emphasized.
Karin Holmqvist agreed and referenced Swedish Commander in Chief, Michael Claesson’s, quote from Folk and Försvar’s national conference;
“I must consider any conscious resistance to developing our internal processes and to dealing with our bureaucracy and thereby creating better conditions for progress and growth. I must implicitly consider any resistance to this as a hostile act.”
Capital, platforms, and open doors
The capital perspective highlighted another decisive dimension. For Sweden to fully leverage its expertise in space and AI, major players need to open their platforms for collaboration.
Innovative new space companies need to scale in close interaction with established industry. This means access to test environments, joint development projects, and long-term industrial relationships that enable commercialization on a European scale.
Kista’s ecosystem for the space industry
The district of Kista already constitutes one of Sweden’s most concentrated clusters for space and space-adjacent technology. In addition to Ericsson and OHB Sweden, companies such as Kebni, Accurate Nordic, Brockmann Geomatics, IRnova, and TERASi are present.
Recently, Sivers Semiconductors also launched new products for satellite communications. Another sign that the value chain spans from component level to complete systems.
Kista is also home to the European initiative ESA Phi Lab Sweden at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, focusing on Edge AI for space applications. At the same time, national AI actors such as Berget AI and 6G AI Sweden are developing capabilities that strengthen Swedish and European sovereignty in artificial intelligence.
For Kista, this is exactly the type of conversation that needs to take place — where concrete capacity meets capital, where research meets industrial implementation, and where strategic direction is shaped in real time.
Space AI is not future rhetoric. It is the ongoing construction of critical infrastructure. And in that construction, places like Kista are absolutely instrumental.
