At the "Invest in Germany" summit in Berlin, NVIDIA signed a letter of intent with the German government to invest in four German startups spanning robotics, healthcare, generative AI, and satellite technologies. It is also collaborating with Siemens to develop AI-powered factory solutions that could cut costs by up to 20%. Jensen Huang further lamented that Germany is falling behind in the tech race, noting that Europeans may be overly meticulous and overthink things.
NVIDIA is advancing its nearly $10 billion European investment plan into Germany. At the "Invest in Germany" summit held in Berlin, NVIDIA signed a letter of intent with the German government, announcing investments in four German startups and reaching an AI‑factory cooperation agreement with Siemens, further solidifying its strategic positioning in the European industrial AI sector.
German Chancellor Merkel, in her opening address at the summit, called on the business community to encourage German SMEs to open up their data to AI, emphasizing Germany's intention to become a global leader in the industrial application of AI. Meanwhile, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang stated on stage that AI can only augment human capabilities rather than replace specialized expertise, characterizing it as a "new tool" for businesses.
Jensen Huang also lamented Germany's lagging behind in the tech race:
"To be honest, what pains me most is seeing a country that excels technologically lag far behind in the field of science and technology. I believe the underlying reason may lie in the European approach—overthinking everything. I think Germany has an abundance of talent; we just need to let them get on with it."
This collaboration spans multiple sectors, including manufacturing, robotics, healthcare, and aerospace, and is further bolstered by the €4.1 trillion in potential investment projected by the "Made for Germany" corporate alliance led by Siemens and Deutsche Bank, making this summit a pivotal milestone in Germany's economic transformation narrative and providing positive support to market sentiment in the industrial technology and AI-related sectors.
Germany and NVIDIA have signed a letter of intent, with cooperation focused on physics-informed AI.
On Monday, local time, Germany's Ministry of Economic Affairs signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with NVIDIA, though specific terms were not disclosed. According to NVIDIA's official blog, Merz and two federal ministries have jointly formulated a plan with NVIDIA aimed at developing artificial intelligence capable of powering robots, machinery, and vehicles—what NVIDIA calls "physics AI."
This collaboration will also extend to the existing framework between NVIDIA and Germany's "Industry 4.0 Platform." The platform brings together representatives from government, industry, research institutions, and trade associations, with the aim of accelerating the large-scale deployment of industrial AI.
At the summit, Merz stated, "We are fully committed to becoming one of the world's most advanced regions for AI applications, not only within the European Union but globally." He also noted that AI is bringing about fundamental changes to Germany's economy, and that cooperation with NVIDIA is crucial for Germany's future development.
NVIDIA invests in four German startups, spanning from robotics to satellites.
NVIDIA announced an investment in four German startups—Agile Robots, Avelios Medical, Mirelo, and Reflex Aerospace—without disclosing the specific investment amounts.
These four companies operate across different sectors: Agile Robots focuses on developing AI-powered robots for manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare; Avelios Medical creates AI-driven hospital management software; Mirelo researches and develops AI models for video and audio generation; and Reflex Aerospace designs and manufactures satellites.
The aforementioned investment is part of NVIDIA's nearly $10 billion European-wide investment plan, with funds earmarked to support businesses, universities, and research institutions across Europe. The previous week, during his visit to France, Jensen Huang also announced investments in four French startups and held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on AI development.
With Siemens' collaboration, the AI factory solution can reduce costs by up to 20%.
During the summit, Siemens announced that it has partnered with NVIDIA to develop a new suite of AI solutions at its plant in Erlangen, Germany. Siemens stated that these technologies can reduce engineering effort in the production preparation phase by up to 85%, while AI-driven production planning can cut costs by as much as 20%.
This cooperation agreement between Siemens and NVIDIA represents the latest step in both companies' efforts to deepen their industrial AI strategies, and it is one of the most substantive collaborations at the industry implementation level at this summit.
The business alliance forecasts that the potential investment scale will reach €4.1 trillion by 2035.
During the summit, the "Made for Germany" business initiative, jointly launched by Siemens and Deutsche Bank, released a forecast. According to Reuters, the coalition—comprising roughly 150 companies and investment institutions—expects that by 2035, Germany's potential investment in AI, energy, and defense could reach as much as €4.1 trillion (approximately $4.6 trillion).
The alliance also disclosed that its members had already invested more than €200 billion by 2025 and plan to accumulate over €850 billion in investments by 2028.
Companies attending this summit include MERCEDES-BENZ GROUP AG UNSP ADR EACH REP 0.25 ORD SHS, Bayer, Lufthansa, Deutsche Telekom, Blackrock, and Goldman Sachs. The summit will conclude on Tuesday, and Jensen Huang is expected to deliver a keynote address at NVIDIA's GTC Berlin conference on Wednesday.
Jensen Huang: Expertise is irreplaceable; AI enhances, it does not replace.
Faced with widespread concerns in Germany's manufacturing sector about AI's impact on employment, Jensen Huang made a clear statement at the summit: "That knowledge belongs to you; it cannot be replaced. AI can only enhance your capabilities—it will not replace them." He characterized AI as a "new tool" that businesses can use.
Jensen Huang also emphasized Germany's traditional strengths in manufacturing, mathematics, and science, and stated that AI will build on these foundations to amplify Germany's industrial capabilities.
In his speech, Merz also urged small and medium-sized enterprises to seize this window of opportunity and open their doors to embrace AI technology. "Germany's greatest strength lies in our SMEs," he said. "Please open up to AI and let it leverage your data. That is Germany's true secret and its competitive edge." He currently faces political pressure to boost economic growth, as German automakers, chemical firms, and engineering companies all contend with intense international competition.