Germany's Merz Urges AI Adoption; NVIDIA Invests in Four German Startups

ChainCatcher report: At the Berlin Invest in Germany Summit, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Germany aims to become a leader in integrating AI into key industries, specifically naming manufacturing, machinery, and automotive sectors. He urged small and medium-sized enterprises to leverage their existing data, saying, “Please open the door to AI so it can use your data,” calling this Germany’s true secret and real advantage. At the summit, NVIDIA announced increased investment in Europe’s AI sector, planning to support four German startups: Agile Robots, Avelios Medical, Mirelo, and Reflex Aerospace. This forms part of NVIDIA’s nearly $10 billion commitment to invest in businesses, universities, and research institutions across Europe; NVIDIA did not disclose the specific amounts of these four investments. Agile Robots develops AI-powered robots for manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare; Avelios Medical creates hospital management software; Mirelo builds AI models that generate audio from video; and Reflex Aerospace designs and manufactures satellites. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang stated that AI will enhance, not replace, Germany’s strengths in manufacturing, mathematics, and science, calling AI a new tool for businesses. NVIDIA is expanding its collaboration with the German federal government and the Industry 4.0 Platform, with both parties signing a joint statement of intent to advance AI models for industrial applications. On the same day, Siemens announced a new AI initiative in collaboration with NVIDIA at its Erlangen plant, stating that the technology can reduce engineering work in production preparation by up to 85% and lower production planning costs by up to 20% through AI.