Viva Technology 2026

The future of flight is being written in code as much as it is being built in carbon fibre. As a company that designs autonomous flight systems, builds global satellite constellations and manages some of the world’s most complex industrial data platforms, Airbus’ success is closely linked to staying at the forefront of innovative technological development.

Airbus engineers don’t just design aircraft, they create entire digital ecosystems that keep them flying safely and as efficiently as possible. They also analyse billions of data points – a single A350 produces a terabyte of data every day – and apply the findings to regularly improve Airbus products. 

The future of aerospace technology is also a pioneering frontier for deep tech development. Indeed, exploration is already well underway into how future technologies like quantum sensing and agentic AI can improve flight. 

Airbus is showcasing the concept of the invisible shield, a connected web made up of digital Airbus technologies that protect people and society. There are four layers: on the ground, in cyberspace, in the sky and in space.

You may be surprised to learn that AI has long been behind the scenes at Airbus: our first AI applications were developed in the 1990s to interpret satellite images. With the explosive growth of large language models in recent years, however, AI services and software are now being used to optimise many different kinds of operations at Airbus.

Generally speaking, AI is changing how aircraft are designed and built through algorithms that permit generative design and identify production bottlenecks before they arrive. AI also plays a key role in predictive analytics and flight path optimisation for aircraft currently flying.