shardana.ai is a software house based in Cabras, in the province of Oristano. We design and develop custom software for companies, startups and public bodies in Sardinia: artificial intelligence assistants and agents, automation across email, management software and documents, new digital products to bring to market. We also work with clients in the rest of Italy, in Europe and worldwide, but the island is where we work every day and whose constraints we know: short seasons, long distances, small companies that have to do everything with few people.
Where does artificial intelligence stand in Sardinian companies?
Further ahead than you might think, but unevenly. According to the study «I pionieri dell'IA» ("The AI pioneers") by the research office of Confartigianato Sardegna, published in June 2025 on data from Unioncamere-Sistema Excelsior, the Italian Ministry of Labour and Istat, 23.4% of Sardinian companies with employees already use artificial intelligence tools: about 4,970 businesses, against a national average of 19.3% reported by the same study. The distribution is not uniform: it ranges from 1,751 companies in the province of Sassari-Gallura to 387 in the province of Oristano. The same study, however, records that about seven companies in ten say they do not know how to introduce AI into their processes, and that more than half of the profiles with advanced digital skills sought by Sardinian companies are hard to find. So the problem is rarely the technology: it is understanding where to apply it and having someone who builds it and maintains it over time.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Sardinian companies with employees that use AI | 23.4% (about 4,970 companies) |
| National average in the same study | 19.3% |
| Companies using AI in the province of Oristano | 387 |
| Companies that do not know how to introduce AI | about 7 in 10 |
Source: Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna, research office, «I pionieri dell'IA», June 2025, on data from Unioncamere-Sistema Excelsior, the Ministry of Labour and Istat; reported by Sardegna Impresa.
What do we develop for Sardinian companies?
Three families of services, with the same method: we start from a real company process, not from a technology to sell.
Custom artificial intelligence. Assistants that answer customers following the company's procedures, agents that read emails and documents and prepare the work for a person, search across internal documents, MCP servers that connect AI models to management software in a controlled way. → AI development for businesses
MVPs and digital products. For startups and SMEs that want to put an idea in front of real users: narrow scope, weekly releases, code and accounts in the client's name. → MVP development for startups and SMEs
Process automation. The repetitive steps between email, spreadsheets, CRM, e-commerce and management software, automated with rules where they are enough and with AI where it is really needed. → AI automation for business processes
In which sectors of the island is AI most useful?
Wherever there is a lot of repetitive work done by few people, often concentrated in a few months of the year. The table sums up where we see the most room in the main sectors of the Sardinian economy. These are examples of application, not client cases: the starting point is always the analysis of your process.
| Sector | Where time is lost today | What can be built |
|---|---|---|
| Tourism and hospitality | Requests in several languages, almost always the same, concentrated in summer | Multilingual assistant connected to the property's availability and rules, which hands special cases to a person |
| Food and wine | Orders from distributors and restaurants across email, WhatsApp and phone | Automatic reading of orders and a draft ready in the management software, to be confirmed with one click |
| Retail and e-commerce | Product sheets to write and translate, questions after purchase | Multilingual product sheets generated from product data, answers on shipping and returns |
| Crafts and services | Quotes that take hours across price lists and previous jobs | Agent that prepares a draft quote with the company's data |
| Professional firms | Documents to classify, deadlines, recurring answers to clients | Search across internal documents and automatic mail sorting |
| Public bodies and consortia | Information desks with repeated questions, long regulations | Assistant on public documents that cites the source in every answer |
In all these cases AI prepares the work and a person decides. It is a design choice: it reduces errors, makes the system acceptable to the people who use it and keeps the running costs of the models under control.
How is an AI project funded in Sardinia?
Today the main channel is the regional grant «Aiuti alle MPMI sarde per la transizione digitale» (aid for Sardinian micro, small and medium-sized enterprises for the digital transition), managed by Sardegna Ricerche, the regional agency for research and innovation, under the PR FESR Sardegna 2021-2027, the regional programme of the European Regional Development Fund (Action 2.2.1). It has a budget of over €22 million, funds projects with eligible costs between €50,000 and €200,000 and provides, under the de minimis regime, a base contribution of 70% of the costs that can rise to 90% with bonus criteria. Artificial intelligence is among the eligible technologies, together with management software, cloud and cybersecurity. Applications are submitted on the SIPES platform, the regional online application system, from 2 March 2026 to 31 March 2027, on a first-come, first-served basis: funds may run out before the deadline. For smaller projects there are the vouchers of the Punti Impresa Digitale (PID), the digital business desks of the Chambers of Commerce, which in 2026 opened calls on the twin digital and green transition. Requirements and deadlines change: always check the official text.
| Instrument | Managed by | What for |
|---|---|---|
| Aiuti alle MPMI sarde per la transizione digitale | Sardegna Ricerche (PR FESR 2021-2027) | Projects from €50,000 to €200,000, AI included |
| Voucher «Doppia transizione digitale ed ecologica» (twin digital and green transition) | Punti Impresa Digitale of the Chambers of Commerce | Smaller projects, consulting and digital technologies |
What we do, and what we do not. We prepare the technical part of the project: scope, architecture, work plan and a detailed quote by cost item, useful for the application. Checking eligibility, submitting the application and reporting remain with the company or its subsidised-finance consultant.
Sources: grant page in the Italian national incentives catalogue (incentivi.gov.it); Camera di commercio di Cagliari-Oristano, Punto Impresa Digitale page; Unioncamere, press release of 6 July 2026 on the Voucher Doppia Transizione call.
How do we work with Sardinian companies?
- First conversation. Online or in person: you tell us about the process you want to improve and the problem that costs you most. No commitment.
- Analysis. We look at the process with the people who run it every day and choose a first use case with a measurable result: time saved, errors avoided, requests handled.
- Written proposal. Scope, phases, deliverables and costs. You can start with the analysis alone before committing to the whole project.
- Development. Frequent releases in a test environment you have access to, with your team trying them and correcting the direction.
- Go-live and handover. Documentation, access and accounts in your name, and a session with the people who will use the tool.
For projects in Sardinia the key moments, that is the initial analysis, the presentation of the proposal and the delivery, can take place in person, at your premises or in Cabras. Day-to-day work goes ahead remotely, with regular updates: that way you do not pay for trips that are not needed.
Why choose a software house based in Sardinia?
For three practical reasons. First: we can meet, and a business process is easier to understand by watching it than by describing it on a video call. Second: we know the rhythms of the island's businesses. An assistant for a hotel or guesthouse has to be ready and tested in March, not in July; an automation for a winery has to withstand the peak of the grape harvest and the holidays. The third is experience. shardana.ai was founded in 2026, but the work rests on more than 25 years of experience of its founder, Maurizio Brioschi, in software engineering, backend development, systems architecture and leading technical teams. We do not publish client cases we cannot document: in the first meeting we go into the details of your project. About us
Where we work in Sardinia
- Cabras and Sinis: our office, in the area where we started.
- Province of Oristano: in-person meetings at your premises, from the Sinis to the Montiferru.
- Rest of Sardinia: from Cagliari to Sassari, from Nuoro to Gallura, meetings by appointment and remote work.
- Italy, Europe and the rest of the world: projects followed remotely.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you only work with Sardinian companies?
- No. We work with companies, startups and public bodies in Italy, across Europe and worldwide, mostly remotely. With Sardinian companies we can also arrange in-person meetings in the phases where they are really needed.
- Can you come to our premises?
- Yes. For projects in Sardinia we arrange in-person meetings at the key moments: initial analysis, presentation of the proposal and delivery. The rest of the work goes ahead remotely.
- Do you help us with the regional grant for the digital transition?
- We prepare the technical part of the project: scope, architecture, work plan and a quote by cost item. Checking eligibility, the application and the reporting remain with the company or its consultant.
- How much does an artificial intelligence project cost?
- It depends on the scope: number of processes involved, integrations with the systems you already use, volumes, security requirements. That is why we do not publish a price list. After the first conversation you receive a written proposal with phases and costs, including the recurring costs of the AI models.
- Does our data need to be in order already?
- No. Often the first job is precisely putting scattered documents, emails and spreadsheets in order. We assess it together in the initial analysis.
Let's talk about your project in Sardinia
Describe your business and the process you would like to improve. We will reply with a first assessment and, if it makes sense, arrange a meeting.