Germany's Merz Urges AI Investment Ahead of Nvidia Deal

3-line summary

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged German companies to adopt AI at a Berlin industry summit Monday aimed at attracting investment from Nvidia and others, telling firms to 'please open your doors for AI to make use of your data' and calling cooperation with Nvidia key to Germany's future success; Germany's economy ministry said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Nvidia without disclosing details, with a formal Germany-Nvidia AI partnership announcement expected Tuesday as the summit continues.
• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced investment plans in four German startups (Agile Robots, Avelios Medical, Mirelo, and Reflex Aerospace), part of Nvidia's roughly $10 billion commitment to the European tech ecosystem, and referenced Nvidia's existing collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, which is using Nvidia software to develop premium robotaxis.
• The summit comes as Germany's core auto, chemical, and engineering industries face global competitive pressure and Merz seeks new growth drivers amid rising support for the far-right AfD party; German business and investor groups including Siemens and Deutsche Bank have projected up to 4.1 trillion euros ($4.6 trillion) in AI, energy, and defense investment potential through 2035, while the 'Made for Germany' business coalition plans to invest more than 85 billion euros by 2028, having invested over 20 billion euros in 2025.

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