Key facts
- The report proposes 18 measures, including expanding AI computing infrastructure and strengthening the semiconductor value chain.
- Germany aims for at least 80% of large companies and 55% of small and medium-size businesses to use AI by 2030.
- Berlin targets 90% of federal agencies having at least one AI application in production.
- The government plans to increase AI data center capacity by 300% compared with 2025, the report said.
- The report says the measures neither constitute funding decisions nor prejudge future budget procedures.
- Germany wants to cooperate with France and Canada, including with French AI company Mistral, the report said.
Germany is unveiling a plan to catch up in the global AI race, but key details remain unclear. The blueprint, drafted by the government's AI task force and obtained by POLITICO, is set to be released Monday and calls for Germany to become a sovereign AI nation by 2030, narrowing the gap with leading AI hubs in the US and China.
The report says the next 12 to 18 months will be decisive in setting the course. It was due to be presented to the National Security Council and at a summit on AI in Berlin. Germany wants to secure access to the world's leading models while strengthening European alternatives, particularly through expanded cooperation with France and Canada. The authors cited intra-European collaborations, such as with French AI company Mistral, to achieve this leverage.
The plan also calls for AI made in Germany to stand out through a focus on industrial AI with highly specialized models. A key focus is the development of innovative production systems to increase productivity through AI, with the report saying widespread use of AI and AI-based robotics can boost productivity and quality, optimize industrial processes and improve control over complex systems.
To speed up development, the government plans to act as a strategic anchor customer, using public contracts and pilot projects to help European AI providers enter the market. The blueprint proposes 18 measures, including plans to strategically expand AI computing infrastructure and connect it as a European ecosystem, as well as strengthening the semiconductor value chain.
By 2030, the government wants at least 80% of large companies and 55% of small and medium-size businesses to use AI. Berlin is also aiming for 90% of federal agencies to have at least one AI application in production. AI agents are expected to prepare administrative processes end to end and, where legally permitted, complete them with full automation. The government is also working to increase the country's AI data center capacity by 300% compared with 2025, the report read.
Much of the blueprint lacks key details, including on financing. The measures neither constitute funding decisions nor prejudge future budget procedures, according to the report. The government established the task force in June to better coordinate AI initiatives across several ministries.