Artificial intelligence (AI) is considered a key technology for future economic development. The German Economic Institute has investigated the location of Germany's AI centers.
The Federal Government dedicated its Digital Summit in early December the topic of artificial intelligence. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier said there:
“With the cross-sectional technology of AI, we can massively improve our lives, whether in the early detection of diseases, support in care, or autonomous driving.”
The enthusiasm for AI also has a tangible economic background: Altmaier expects around 32 billion euros in additional value creation in the manufacturing industry alone over the next 5 years.
Where are Germany’s centers for artificial intelligence located?
The German Economic Institute has now mapped the progress in the German AI landscape: The Cologne-based researchers have looked at where in Germany AI startups and scientific institutions that deal with artificial intelligence are located.
The study authors discovered 46 institutions in the field of artificial intelligence and 164 AI startups nationwide. Munich and Bremen, each with six research institutions, are the most active. Berlin and Dresden follow with four institutions each, followed by Aachen and Saarbrücken with three each.
Among AI startups, Munich ranks second with 34 companies, behind Berlin with 70. Following at some distance are Hamburg (10), Karlsruhe (8), Frankfurt (7), and Cologne (6).
“Many strong economic centers”
Overall, a concentration of both research institutions and startups can be observed in Berlin and Munich. The researchers nevertheless emphasize the regional diversification in Germany and conclude that AI startups can also develop beyond specialized research institutions. Nevertheless, the study authors suspect that a greater concentration in one or a few locations could potentially accelerate the development of AI startups. This distribution is a historical result of Germany's federal structure, "with the result that Germany is characterized not by just one, but by many strong economic centers."
