Europe's €200bn AI Investment Takes Centre Stage at GITEX
European policymakers have committed €200bn to AI development as part of a wider technology investment strategy encompassing quantum computing, cloud infrastructure, semiconductors and data storage.
The investment programme coincides with Germany's hosting of GITEX EUROPE x Ai Everything, scheduled for 21-23 May at Messe Berlin. The event marks a milestone for Germany's technology sector, which analysis firm Statista projects will reach €232.8bn by 2025.
Franziska Giffey, Mayor of Berlin and Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises, said: "Partnering with one of the largest tech and startup global events and hosting the debut of GITEX EUROPE in Berlin strengthens our commitment to solidifying Germany's position as a global magnet for investment and frontier-pushing technologies, spearheading Europe's edge in the next digital decade."
The Berlin exhibition, organised by KAOUN International, has secured support from the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Berlin Partner for Business and Technology and the European Innovation Council.
Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of KAOUN International, said: "Amid the AI whirlwinds, there is a coordinated consensus and renewed urgency and unity across Europe to assert its digital sovereignty and leadership as a global innovation force. The region is paving its way as a centre-stage where AI, quantum and deep tech supremacy will be debated, developed and scaled."
GITEX EUROPE and Ai Everything Brings IBM, AWS and Nvidia Together with European AI Leaders
The exhibition will convene over 1,400 technology enterprises from more than 100 countries, including representation from 34 European nations. Platinum sponsors AWS and IBM will join technology firms including Cisco, Cloudflare, Dell, Fortinet, Lenovo, NTT, Nutanix, Nvidia, Opswat and SAP.
National pavilions from India, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, South Korea, UK, UAE and other countries will feature at the event.
The conference programme includes more than 500 speakers addressing European technology policy and innovation. Headliners include Geoffrey Hinton, Physics Nobel Laureate and neural network pioneer; Kai Wegner, Mayor of Berlin; Jelena Begović, Serbian Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation; António Henriques, CEO of Bison Bank; and Sandro Gianella, Head of Europe & Middle East Policy & Partnerships at OpenAI.
Discussions will focus on Europe's EuroStack initiative and emerging agentic AI technologies. Martin Kon, President and COO of Canadian AI firm Cohere, valued at US$5.5bn, will present alongside Daniel Verten, Strategy Partner at UK-based Synthesia — valued at US$2.1bn and backed by Nvidia — and Professor Antonio Krueger, CEO of the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence.
The quantum computing sector will receive attention through the GITEX Quantum Expo, developed with IBM and QuIC, Europe's largest quantum industry association. European governments have allocated €7bn to quantum computing research, representing the second largest investment after China.
Alessandro Curioni, IBM Fellow, Vice President Europe and Africa and Director IBM Research Zurich, said: "IBM's investments in AI and quantum computing directly reflect our commitment to Europe, and underscore the key role of collaboration with industry, academia and policymakers for a pan-European ecosystem. These state-of-the-art technologies and facilities will foster innovation, creating new opportunities for talent attraction and ensuring that Europe will always be at the forefront of global technological advancements."
North Star Europe and GITEX ScaleX Create Platform for Technology Startups and Investment
The event includes North Star Europe, which will host more than 750 startup ventures and 20 unicorns including Qonto, Flutterwave, reMarkable, TransferMate, Solarisbank AG, Bolt, Flix and Glovo.
Featured startups include Neurocast.ai from the Netherlands, which applies AI to Alzheimer's research; Switzerland's CloudBees, which has secured backing from Goldman Sachs, HSBC, and Lightspeed; and Finland's Semiqon, which develops CMOS transistors for cryogenic environments.
The exhibition will attract over 600 investors managing assets of approximately US$1tn, including Germany's Earlybird VC, Austria's SpeedInvest, Switzerland's B2Venture, Estonia's Startup Wise Guys and SOSV from the United States.
A new platform called GITEX ScaleX will cater to scale-ups and later-stage companies, developed in partnership with AWS.
The GITEX SMEDEX programme will connect small and medium enterprises with international trade networks and investors, recognising that SMEs constitute 99% of European businesses. This initiative has support from EISMEA and ICC Digital Standards Initiative. Speakers include Milena Stoycheva, Chairperson of Board of Innovation at Bulgaria's Ministry of Innovation and Growth, and Oliver Grün, President of European Digital SME Alliance and BITMi.
Cybersecurity features in the programme through GITEX Cyber Valley, with participation from Fortinet, CrowdStrike, Kaspersky, Knowbe4 and Proofpoint. Speakers include Brigadier General Volker Pötzsch, Chief of Division Cyber/IT & AI at Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence; Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government; Miguel De Bruycker, Managing Director General at the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium; and Ugo Vignolo Lutati, Group CISO for Prada Group.
GITEX Green Impact will connect innovators and investors exploring green hydrogen, bioenergy, and energy storage technologies. Speakers include Gavin Towler, Chief Scientist for Sustainability Technologies & CTO at Honeywell; Julie Kitcher, Chief Sustainability Officer at Airbus; Lisa Reehten, Managing Director of Bosch Climate Solutions; Massimo Falcioni, Chief Competitiveness Officer at Abu Dhabi Investment Office; and Mounir Benaija, CTO for EV & Charging Infrastructure at TotalEnergies.
GITEX EUROPE forms part of the GITEX global network of technology and startup events, with additional exhibitions taking place in Morocco, Nigeria, Singapore, Thailand and the UAE.
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