German Chancellor Friedrich Merz used the federal government’s Digitalgipfel in Berlin on Monday, 2 November, to push for more speed in AI, as a government AI task force set a goal of making Germany a “KI-Nation” (AI nation) by 2030, tagesschau reported.
The task force paper says at least 80 percent of large companies and 55 percent of small and mid-sized companies should use AI by 2030, according to tagesschau. It also aims to triple the number of AI start-ups and lift the AI-based share of economic output above 10 percent.
The key insight: A German government AI task force set 2030 targets of at least 80 percent of large companies and 55 percent of small and mid-sized companies using AI, presented at the Digitalgipfel where Chancellor Merz called for more speed, tagesschau reported.
Merz said: “Wir kรถnnen und ich finde, wir mรผssen in Deutschland und in Europa viel schneller und besser darin werden, digitale Technologien zu entwickeln und sie auch wirklich zu nutzen”. In our translation: Germany and Europe can and must become much faster and better at developing digital technologies and actually using them.
He announced a two-track strategy, tagesschau reports: in the short term, support for AI models that industry can use, to protect companies’ competitiveness; in parallel, research on future AI models, for example in physical AI.
The aim, according to tagesschau, is to reduce technological dependence on the tech giants of the United States and China. Merz is counting on international cooperation, for example with France and Canada, to share knowledge and diversify supply chains, the report says.
He also said AI development must follow human values, and called for a technology policy in line with “unseren Werten und Sicherheitsinteressen” (our values and security interests), tagesschau reports.
Targets for 2030 in the federal AI task force report presented at the Digitalgipfel in Berlin on 2 November 2026, as reported by tagesschau. The EUR 453B scale reference is our arithmetic on 2025 GDP from Destatis.
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What the Task Force Wants by 2030
The AI task force was set up over the summer by the federal government’s National Security Council, led by the digital ministry, according to tagesschau. Its final report was presented at the summit.
Its targets for 2030, as tagesschau lists them: at least 80 percent of large companies and 55 percent of small and mid-sized companies using AI; three times as many AI start-ups; and more than 10 percent of economic output generated on an AI basis.
The report warns: “Das Zeitfenster, um diesen Abstand zu verringern, schlieรt sich bald” (the window to close this gap is closing soon), according to tagesschau, and says the next twelve to eighteen months are decisive. It says Germany risks falling further behind the leading AI locations, the United States and China, despite a strong starting position in research.
What 10 Percent of Output Means
Germany’s gross domestic product was €4,529.7 billion at current prices in 2025, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Ten percent of that is about €453 billion, by our arithmetic. The task force target refers to 2030 output, which will differ from 2025, so the figure is a scale reference, not a forecast.
As we read it, the targets measure adoption by companies rather than spending or compute, which sets the plan apart from budget-led programmes.
As we read the report as tagesschau describes it, the 12-to-18-month window frames the plan as a race against the United States and China rather than a regulatory exercise.
KI-Taskforce final report, as quoted by tagesschau
“Das Zeitfenster, um diesen Abstand zu verringern, schlieรt sich bald”
Three Implications
FOR GERMAN COMPANIES The task force wants at least 80 percent of large companies and 55 percent of small and mid-sized companies to use AI by 2030, according to tagesschau.
FOR START-UPS The report aims to triple the number of AI start-ups in Germany by 2030, tagesschau reports.
FOR THE ECONOMY The report targets more than 10 percent of economic output generated on an AI basis; on 2025 GDP of €4,529.7 billion (Destatis), 10 percent is about €453 billion, by our arithmetic.
The framework reads: “This isn’t just a supply chain problem. It’s a fundamental constraint on the speed of AI transformation, and it’s creating geopolitical leverage that operates independently of who has the best models.”
As we read it, Merz’s stated aim of reducing dependence on US and Chinese tech giants is a response to that kind of leverage. The framework is the owner’s argument and does not discuss Germany’s plan.
Tagesschau does not report a budget for the plan, named compute projects, or the baseline for the adoption targets. We did not read the task force report itself or a government transcript of the speech. The €453 billion figure is our arithmetic on 2025 GDP. English renderings of German quotes are our translations.
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Merz called for faster AI development and use in Germany and Europe at the Digitalgipfel, and a government task force set 2030 targets: 80 percent of large firms and 55 percent of smaller firms using AI, three times as many AI start-ups, and over 10 percent of output from AI, tagesschau reported.
A note on sourcing. Merz’s remarks and the task force targets are from tagesschau’s 2 November report; German quotations are verbatim and English renderings are our translations. GDP is from Destatis; the €453 billion figure is our arithmetic. We did not read the task force report or a government transcript.
Gennaro Cuofano is a CRO and tech executive who has worked in AI since late 2015, starting with bringing NLP, natural-language generation, voice and chatbot products to the marketing industry. His background is in law and finance: he holds a Master's degree in Law and an International MBA with an emphasis on corporate finance (LUISS Business School and the University of San Diego, 2012), and worked as a financial analyst at a real-estate investment firm in San Diego and as an assistant controller. His work focuses on business model strategy, business engineering and, more broadly, structural analysis: how companies make money, read from their own filings. He created FourWeekMBA and leads research there and at The Business Engineer, his newsletter on AI and business strategy, with over 95,000 subscribers and more than 1,000 published analyses. His writing has also appeared on Entrepreneur (for example, How to Digitize a Family Business in Europe) and HackerNoon. Find him on LinkedIn and Substack. See how we source.
