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Appia Foundation founding member — shaping AI conformity assessment at scale

Nemko Digital joins the Appia Foundation as a founding member, helping shape the future of AI conformity, assurance, and trust — so trustworthy AI becomes demonstrable, not just aspirational.

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See Specifications
The Initiative

Shaping the Future of AI Trust at Industry scale

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in products, services and business operations, organisations need reliable ways to demonstrate that their AI systems are safe, trustworthy and compliant with applicable requirements.

As a founding member of the Appia Foundation, Nemko Digital is helping shape the future of AI trust and assurance. Building on Nemko's more than 90 years of experience in testing, inspection and certification, we contribute expertise in AI governance, technical evaluation and conformity assessment to help make AI trust measurable and demonstrable.

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Together with Appia's international members, we are helping develop a consistent, transparent and globally relevant approach to AI conformity and assurance.

Founding Members

In good company

Appia's founding members include some of the world's most influential technology and industry organizations.

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Master Card
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OpenAi
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All members

Hosted by the Linux Foundation under the Joint Development Foundation.

Open Specifications

What the Appia Foundation builds

The Appia Foundation is a collaborative initiative of the global AI leading companies hosted by the Linux Foundation under its Joint Development Foundation. Launched in June 2026, it brings together organisations across the AI ecosystem to develop common specifications that make trustworthy AI demonstrable.

Building on existing international standards and regulatory frameworks, Appia translates requirements into clear, assessable criteria. These specifications provide a shared foundation for evaluating AI systems and demonstrating conformity across organisations, industries and borders.

By connecting regulatory obligations, technical standards and independent assessment, Appia aims to establish a common approach to AI assurance that supports responsible innovation and the wider adoption of trustworthy AI.

The Appia Conformity Chain

01
Obligations

Standards & regulations

International standards, the EU AI Act and other applicable obligations establishwhat organisations need to demonstrate.
WHAT IS REQUIRED
02
Appia layer

Appia specifications

Appia translates standards and applicable requirements into assessable criteriathrough Requirements & Guidance and Assessment Enablement.
HOW IT BECOMES CHECKABLE
03
Verification

Independent assessment

Qualified assessment bodies evaluate AI systems against defined criteria,generating objective evidence of conformity.
HOW IT IS PROVEN
04
Outcome

Provable trust

Consistent, transparent evidence supports confidence among customers, businesspartners, regulators and other stakeholders.
WHAT YOU CAN DEMONSTRATE
Our Commitment

Why Nemko Digital?

Nemko Digital combines expertise in AI governance, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance and technical assurance with Nemko's more than 90 years of experience in testing, inspection and certification.

As a founding member of Appia, we bring together technological expertise, regulatory knowledge and independent assessment capabilities to help shape the future of Digital Trust and AI assurance.

Our ambition is to bridge the gap between regulation, technology and business, enabling organisations to innovate responsibly, manage AI risks and demonstrate trust and conformity with confidence.

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For Your Organization

How the Appia Foundation helps you prove AI compliance

The EU AI Act and similar regulations are turning trustworthy AI into a hard requirement with real deadlines. Appia's shared conformity framework and Nemko Digital's role in it gives your organization practical ways to stay ahead:

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Prove conformity, don't just claim it

Move from vague assurances to demonstrable evidence that your AI systems meet regulatory and industry obligations.

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One framework, many regulations

Appia translates overlapping requirements into a shared set of assessable criteria so you prepare once instead of chasing every rule separately.

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Market access and trust

Independent, recognized assessment turns your compliance work into a visible signal buyers, partners, and regulators trust.

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Future-ready and audit-ready

As standards evolve, a conformity-based approach keeps you ready for the next requirement instead of scrambling to catch up.

Transforming global standards into assessable criteria

This is where Nemko Digital comes in. We help organizations move from Appia's specifications to real-world AI assurance assessing systems, closing gaps, and certifying conformity so trustworthy AI becomes something you can actually demonstrate.

nemko digital’s role in appia

Connecting AI Governance, Technology and Independent Assurance

As a founding member of Appia, Nemko Digital contributes expertise across four areas to support the development of practical, consistent and internationally relevant approaches to AI trust.

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AI Governance & Regulatory Alignment

Translating regulatory requirements and international standards into practical governance frameworks, responsibilities and assessment criteria.

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Technical Testing & Evaluation

Contributing expertise in AI risk assessment, security, performance testing and technical evaluation to support evidence-based assurance.

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Independent Assurance & Conformity Assessment

Bringing Nemko's established testing, inspection and certification expertise to the development of credible, consistent and transparent AI assessment approaches.

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Industry Collaboration & Adoption

Working with industry stakeholders across the AI ecosystem to develop practical, scalable and internationally relevant approaches to AI trust.

Roadmap

What comes next

As a founding member, Nemko Digital is actively shaping Appia's early work — and sharing what we learn along the way.

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August 2026

Foundational whitepaper

Full whitepaper and detailed specifications released, with Nemko Digital amplifying key insights.
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September 2026

Expert webinar

First expert-led panel and Q&A with working group leaders.
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September 2026

Community newsletter

Ongoing updates on progress, activities, and ways to get involved.
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Oct – Nov 2026

Conference & roundtable

Members present working group progress and showcase real-world use cases.
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"Trustworthy AI is not something any single organization can deliver alone. By helping found the Appia Foundation, Nemko Digital is committing to building the shared standards and collaboration the AI era demands."

Pepijn van der Laan

Global Director, Nemko Digital
Bas Overtoon

"Trustworthy AI is not something any single organization can deliver alone. By helping found the Appia Foundation, Nemko Digital is committing to building the shared standards and collaboration the AI era demands."

Bas Overtoon

Global Director, Nemko Digital

Start building provable AI trust today.

Conformity is becoming a hard deadline, not a nice-to-have. Talk to the Nemko Digital team about where you are and where you need to be.

Get in touch
Visit the Appia Foundation
COMMON QUESTIONS

Appia Foundation: Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about the Appia Foundation founding members, its relationship to the Linux Foundation and the EU AI Act, and how your organization can prepare.

  • What is the Appia Foundation?

      The Appia Foundation is an international, openly governed collaboration that develops the specifications organizations use to demonstrate their AI systems meet the obligations that apply to them. It builds the practical connecting layer between the standards and regulations that set expectations and the assessments that verify them. It is hosted by the Linux Foundation’s Joint Development Foundation.

  • What problem does it solve?

      Standards for AI are published, regulation is moving to enforcement, and organizations are investing in responsible AI. What the ecosystem now needs is a consistent, practical way to show that a given AI system actually meets the obligations that apply to it, in a form others can recognize and rely on across the value chain and across borders. The Appia Foundation builds that layer.

  • What does the Foundation actually produce?

      Specifications: the assessable criteria that let parties demonstrate conformity with their applicable obligations. They are organized across two layers. The Requirements and Guidance layer covers what is required. The Assessment Enablement layer covers how those requirements are evaluated. The specifications build on foundational standards from ISO/IEC and other international and sectoral standards bodies, and translate them into assessable form.

  • How is this different from a standard?

      Foundational standards, from ISO/IEC and other international and sectoral standards bodies, set requirements. Appia specifications build on those standards and translate them into assessable form: the criteria that make it possible to evaluate whether a system meets the standards and the obligations that reference them. The Foundation occupies the connecting layer between standards and assessment, rather than duplicating or competing with the bodies that define foundational standards. Some Appia specifications may themselves become foundational standards over time, through the normal processes of the bodies that adopt them.

  • Is this another AI governance framework?

      No. Many initiatives set out principles, which are high level and not directly assessable, or contribute to the foundational standards and obligations that say what is required. What is now needed is the layer that makes those requirements checkable: the assessable criteria that let a party demonstrate a system actually meets them. The Appia Foundation occupies that connecting layer, between the standards and obligations that set expectations and the assessment that verifies them. It is not another set of rules; it is what makes the existing ones work in practice.