Germany has many strengths, says Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the digital summit. We are at the forefront of quantum computers. The fiber optic expansion is making good progress (on paper). And the BDI’s innovation index officially certifies that Germany is innovative. But Scholz also admits that politicians and companies have been asleep for a long time. And in many ways it seems as if investing in Germany’s digital future was a fair-weather project. Every federal state is happily working on its own AI initiatives, while large projects seem doomed to failure: The federal government would have liked to roll out the red carpet for Intel and support the construction of a chip factory in Magdeburg with almost ten billion euros. Unfortunately, the project is now on hold. The planned chip factory in Saarland, which the American semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed wanted to build with the help of ZF and German subsidies, is also on the verge of collapse. Bad news for Germany’s position in the international race for the best technologies. Away from the spotlight, many conversations at the digital summit are about competitiveness with China and the USA. Artificial intelligence plays a central role here. A fundamental dissatisfaction can always be felt between the lines. Everyone knows that Germany and Europe are lagging behind. We have hope in big names from abroad like Intel, Wolfspeed or TSMC. We hope that they will take us a decisive step forward in the international race. But why do we actually believe so little in the potential of “Made in Germany”? Instead of funding and promoting 1000 different AI initiatives, a clear focus must be set. “This is the only way to be successful,” says Peter Sarlin, who founded Silo AI, one of the most valuable AI start-ups in Europe. What the continent needs are “moonshots,” he says. What we mean are real flagships around which a separate ecosystem is created. An ecosystem in which European talent is welcome to stay and develop. A look at our neighbors shows that France is currently on the way to building such an ecosystem in Paris. The most valuable European AI start-up Mistral is based there, which has now reached a valuation of almost six billion dollars. But other French AI start-ups like Dust are also managing to raise capital. This development is now attracting even Open AI with an office in Paris. Meanwhile, Germany is trying to turn every small town into a new AI center. We should also pool our efforts and set a clear focus. There is potential for this in Heilbronn, for example, where an innovation park for artificial intelligence is currently being built. Essentially, it means making a promising initiative really big – and not turning your back on it at the first sign of bad weather. Hopefully we will soon have a ChatGPT moment. In order to discuss possible “moonshots” and other topics with you, we would like you to come to our AI Congress on November 6th and 7th, 2024 in the F.A.Z. Tower in Frankfurt invite. Among other things, we are talking about the “DataHub Europe” announced at the digital summit, a data platform that is intended to make training AI models in industry easier and safer. You can register here: www.faz-conferences.de/kuenstliche-intelligenz FAZbmWe would be very happy to talk to you and the good speakers. Presence is required here. Come and join us in the discussion. Nina Müller wishes you a lot of fun reading our briefing
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