(de-news.net) – Along with corporate growth of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and growing public demand for quicker digital transformation in Germany, calls for quick adoption of AI in Europe as a requirement for competitiveness have mounted. This also draws attention to conflicts between concerns about social inclusion and uneven access amid a rapid advancement of technology.
Axel Voss, a CDU member of the European Parliament, has called on European businesses to adopt AI rapidly and without delay in order to maintain their competitiveness in an increasingly technology-driven global market. In his capacity as the digital policy representative for the European People’s Party, he told Deutschlandfunk that what he described as a new era of economic competitiveness is about to begin, one characterized by intensified pressure on productivity, speed, and cost structures. According to his assessment, companies that do not integrate AI into their operations risk steadily losing market share over time, since they will be unable to match the speed, efficiency, or cost effectiveness achieved by their competitors who deploy such systems at scale.
Voss further urged companies not to await the finalization of upcoming regulatory frameworks, particularly in light of an impending legislative package from the European Commission designed to strengthen digital sovereignty in relation to the United States and China. He emphasized that the implementation of such measures would require a considerable amount of time and suggested that, in practical terms, the moment for hesitation had already passed. Instead, he argued that companies could and should begin deploying AI solutions immediately by orienting themselves toward the existing EU AI Act, which he characterized as a workable and already available framework for responsible action during the transition period.
In the corporate sector, Deutsche Telekom intends to double the number of Nvidia processors deployed in its Munich-based AI data center, increasing capacity from 10,000 to 20,000 units. The facility, which has been jointly operated with Nvidia since February, was highlighted by CEO Timotheus Höttges, who announced the expansion during the Handelsblatt TECH conference. At the same time, he expressed caution regarding potential participation in large-scale so-called “gigafactory” projects within Germany, noting that any such engagement would ultimately depend on the viability and strength of the underlying business models. These facilities, which are defined as AI data centers equipped with at least 100,000 GPUs or more, are currently being promoted at the European Union level as part of broader infrastructure ambitions.
Nearly half of Germans wish to keeping pace with technology
Höttges further elaborated that, in his view, Germany as a whole would benefit from the establishment of a national AI gigafactory, even though Deutsche Telekom itself would not require such a facility for its own operational needs. He raised questions about demand-side sustainability, emphasizing that sufficient utilization of such large-scale infrastructure would depend on the availability of globally competitive AI services. In his assessment, such services are not currently produced by German companies at a level comparable to leading international firms such as Anthropic or OpenAI, which he referenced as benchmarks in the sector.
In Germany, public opinion broadly supports an acceleration of the digital transformation. According to a Bitkom survey, 73% of participants stated that they would prefer digitization to proceed more quickly, with 46% describing the current pace as far too slow and 27% characterizing it as somewhat too slow. This represents a notable increase compared with 59% two years earlier, indicating a growing sense of urgency regarding digital progress. In contrast, only 10% of respondents now consider the pace to be appropriate, while 13% view it as too fast, a decline from 22% in 2024.
Even with this strong demand for faster progress, concerns regarding social exclusion and unequal adaptation remain significant. Overall, 45% of respondents reported that they worry they may not be able to keep up with technological developments. This concern is not evenly distributed across demographics; it increases substantially with age and is also somewhat more pronounced among women than men, reflecting persistent differences in perceived digital readiness across segments of the population.
Audio: TTSFree
