Jensen Huang, the chief executive of NVIDIA (NVDA), is urging German automotive and industrial machinery makers to move quickly on artificial intelligence, using their wealth of manufacturing data and specialized know-how to "reinvent" the country's currently struggling business model.
Huang made clear that digital technology will never replace manufacturing, nor will it replace Germany's deep experience in automotive and robotics engineering. Or, as he put it: "Electronics will never replace atoms."
At the same time, he said industries stand to gain if they actively embrace the new technology. "The next wave of AI will be tightly integrated with the physical world. This is where AI will interact with the physical world, spanning robotics, manufacturing, automobiles and heavy industry," Huang said on Monday during a conversation with German chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz at an investment conference in Berlin.
"So AI can only augment your capabilities, it cannot replace them. So please make full use of this technology," he said.
Huang said the data and expertise Germany holds in manufacturing "are your natural resources, they belong to the nation," but Germany needs to make better use of AI. "This industrial revolution is immense and powerful. You will not get a second chance," he said.
European leaders, with Merz among them, see AI as a potential source of growth, but they are also worried about how dependent Europe has become on American technology companies in this field.
Both Huang and Merz said AI presents opportunities for Germany's "Mittelstand" — the large number of small and medium-sized companies deeply rooted in highly specialized industrial niches.
Europe trails the United States in building data centers capable of supplying the massive computing power needed to train AI applications. Europe also faces concerns over data security: if European companies' data is stored on servers owned by American firms, it could be exposed to subpoenas or criminal search warrants under the U.S. legal system, even when those servers sit inside Europe.
Huang appeared to respond to those concerns. He urged Germany to bring in AI technology, while stressing: "You should not export your culture, your values or your knowledge."
Huang said Germany should "make full use of AI. Let people write code, develop programs, teach AI knowledge, and keep all of it in Germany. As the chancellor said, let's 'reinvent' Germany — now is the perfect time to achieve that."
Comments