The Digital Summit is taking place in Nuremberg on 3 and 4 December 2018, with its main focal topic being that of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a decisive future technology and represents a crucial market for Germany as a digital location. In order to conquer this important technology field and make AI the core competence of the German economy, the Alliance to Strengthen Digital Infrastructures in Germany – which came together at the beginning of the year under the umbrella of eco – Association of the Internet Industry – argues that an integrated AI strategy is needed. Such a strategy needs to focuses not only on targeted research and development but also on high-performance digital infrastructures and, furthermore, needs to promote societal acceptance of AI technologies.
Policy-makers need to integrate digital infrastructures more firmly into policy approaches
“With the digitalization of companies and the economy as a whole, more and more technical knowledge and data is being stored in data centers. The security of this data can best be guaranteed domestically,” says Béla Waldhauser, Spokesperson for the Alliance to Strengthen Digital Infrastructures. “In order to ensure Germany’s digital self-determination, a strong data center infrastructure is therefore a prerequisite,” continues Waldhauser.
Digital infrastructures are the backbone of successful digital transformation in Germany. This being the case, Waldhauser calls for their innovation, their potential, and their challenges to be accorded greater economic recognition and included in political concepts.
Four pillars for a strong AI ecosystem
From eco’s point of view, a high-performance digital infrastructure is one of four pillars of a strong artificial intelligence ecosystem. In addition to secure and high-performance data centers, education, research, and innovative industrial manufacturing also contribute to the market launch of reliable and secure AI applications, and to safeguarding digital self-determination in this important area of technology in the long-term.
Yesterday, Dr. Ulrich Nussbaum, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), was able to see for himself today how this ecosystem functions. During an information tour on the theme of the artificial intelligence ecosystem – organized as part of the Digital Summit by the Alliance to Strengthen Digital Infrastructures together with Fraunhofer IIS, Siemens AG, noris Network AG, and the Zollhof Tech Incubator – he witnessed how the individual elements and AI stakeholders interact to create a strong basis for secure and trustworthy applications of artificial intelligence:
“In the near future, artificial intelligence will come to play an important role in many areas of business and everyday life. For this reason, AI is a key topic for Germany. We want Germany to play a leading role in this important future market. To achieve this, we need strong partners such as the operators of digital infrastructures, who are important drivers of innovation, in order to achieve our ambitious goals,” said Nussbaum.
Further information about the Alliance to Strengthen Digital Infrastructures.
A current paper eco Guidelines for the Handling of Artificial Intelligence can be found online at: http://go.eco.de/ai-guidelines
