Announcement

Welcome to the AI Hub Frankfurt Rhine-Main: A Home for AI in Frankfurt

The AI Hub Frankfurt is here: We support Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region in unleashing the potential of data and AI and remaining sustainably competitive.

statworx

statworx

CEO @ AI Hub FFM

Featured

Reading Time: 5 min

January 2023

Introduction

→ The role of AI for Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region

The Rhine-Main region is one of the economically strongest regions in Germany and Europe. It is characterized primarily by the cities of Frankfurt am Main, Darmstadt, Offenbach and Wiesbaden and is home to 5.5 million people. More than 2.2 million people are employed here and one in twelve euros of Germany’s gross value added is earned in the Rhine-Main region. The economic power in the region is 9.2 percent higher than the national average, as measured by the purchasing power index. The Rhine-Main region is one of the strongest economic areas in Germany and Europe due to its diverse industry and cluster structure. In addition, the world’s largest Internet hub is located in Frankfurt, through which the world’s digital threads come together. If someone googles New York or Dubai, you can be sure that the data will flow through Frankfurt.[1]

As a globally relevant hub for data, Frankfurt has obvious potential for the digital or data-based economy of the future. One would assume that where data (converges), there are also numerous companies, start-ups and innovators that evaluate the data using state-of-the-art methods in order to derive added value and new business models from it. Unfortunately, however, this is not the case (to date). The relevance of Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region has increased in the increasingly important quaternary economic sector, especially in the area of the automotive industry. in new start-ups, has not experienced significant growth in recent years. Regions such as Munich, Berlin or Hamburg, on the other hand, have been able to build up strong innovation ecosystems in the quartile sector in recent years, producing a large number of new, disruptive digital companies, products and services every year. This applies in particular to the deep-tech sector, i.e. companies and start-ups that use or develop cutting-edge technologies in their products and services – including, in particular, the future technology of artificial intelligence (AI). In cumulation, Berlin and Munich bundle about 60% of the total AI innovation activities in the Federal Republic.[2]

AI has become the central key technology of the digital transformation of economy and society. Naively viewed, AI is distinguished from other, disruptive technologies in particular by the fact that it can be used across industries and functions and is thus fundamentally relevant for all industries and corporate functions. The benefits of AI for companies often include optimizing or automating internal processes to reduce costs and leverage revenue potential, integrating AI into products and services to improve customer experience or satisfaction, or unlocking entirely new data- and AI-based business models.

Consequently, artificial intelligence holds enormous potential for the Rhine-Main region, which is already economically strong and has Frankfurt as its hub. This manifests itself, on the one hand, in the form of value-creating AI innovations and applications in companies in the region and, on the other hand, in the development of new, innovative AI products and services and the founding of AI start-ups. Furthermore, as the most important financial center in Germany, Frankfurt can play a leading role in the financing of AI innovations. Tragically, this potential still lies almost completely fallow today, waiting to be unleashed.

→ AI initiatives: Germany, Rhine-Main and Frankfurt

Despite the challenging starting position for Frankfurt and Rhine-Main in the national as well as international AI comparison, something is beginning to move in Frankfurt and Rhine-Main. Hessian.ai, for example, a program launched by the state of Hesse to promote cutting-edge AI research and innovation in Hesse, has received more than €30 million in funding, which is distributed among various research and innovation projects such as the establishment of new AI professorships or the “AI Start-up Rising” program. The Frankfurt TechQuartier launched in 2022 the start-up program “H_Ventures“The AI Frankfurt Rhein-Main e.V. association recently organized the UAI conference together with the Station association, which was established by the Frankfurt Economic Development Agency, and the Frankfurt data and AI company statworx.

The individual initiatives are all doing valuable groundwork in building an AI ecosystem in the Rhine-Main region that can be compared, at least to some extent, with similar initiatives in other cities and regions. But what is now necessary for the next step? How are the top AI ecosystems in the Federal Republic shaping up? What sets you apart from initiatives in the Rhine-Main region? In addition to structural (and historical) differences, top German AI ecosystems all exhibit one thing: a clear, pointed focus on AI in the form of dedicated, newly established centers of innovation and ecosystem activity with clear commercial leadership and agendas. In addition, there is a strong, regional connection in the form of local contact points, usually set up and financed by local companies, in which innovation activities and start-ups are bundled. Prominent examples of such AI ecosystems already existing in Germany are:

One of the highlights of German AI centers is the
Innovation Park AI
in Heilbronn, Germany. The project, which is funded by the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, sets standards in Germany in terms of size and potential impact. Starting in 2024, AI startups, companies and the general public will be brought together on an area of over 15 hectares in Heilbronn to jointly shape the future of artificial intelligence in Germany and Europe.

To the website

In the haze of the internationally renowned innovation ecosystem around the TU Munich’s startup center, known as UnternehmerTUM for short, the AppliedAI initiative has formed, working together with companies from all over Germany on the future of artificial intelligence. In addition, in 2021, the UnternehmerTUM-launched
Munich Urban Colab
a 10,000sqm co-working and co-creation space was opened, where AppliedAI and other start-ups and corporates work together – among other things – on the topic of AI.

To the website

The AI Campus Berlin of the AI Venture Studio Merantix brings together AI founders, companies and political actors on more than 5,000 sqm and has become the hotspot of the Berlin AI scene within a short time. The prestigious building in Berlin’s west, which was completed in 2021, now houses more than 80 companies of various sizes and orientations.

To the website

Also based in Berlin is KI Park e.V. It is backed by twelve renowned founding members from business, research and politics, including Celonis, Volkswagen and Schaeffler. The AI Park is supported by a continuously growing network of association members and cooperation partners, including other, large industrial companies, start-ups, research institutions as well as political and civil society actors.

To the website

The AI.STARTUP.HUB Hamburg promotes the successful growth of AI startups in Northern Germany by combining entrepreneurial experience and technical expertise. The project is supported by the entire AI ecosystem in the North, which connects leading startup and AI players with business, education and research.

To the website

It turns out: The idea of a local AI ecosystem or a regional center for artificial intelligence is not new – strictly speaking, it is not a “nice to have” but a “must have”. Comparable projects and initiatives orchestrated by companies or business-led players can be found in all relevant economic centers in Germany. It is now time for Frankfurt and Rhine-Main to catch up and unleash the potential of data and AI for the region. Welcome to the AI Hub Frankfurt – a home for AI in Frankfurt and Rhein-Main.

Welcome to the AI Hub Frankfurt: A Home for AI in Frankfurt and Rhein-Main

The AI Hub Frankfurt is intended to create a new, business-oriented center and ecosystem for AI innovation in Frankfurt. The goal of the AI Hub is to promote AI adoption, application and innovation in the region’s business community. Through special AI programs, workshops, events, and networking activities, the AI Hub offers companies, startups, investors, and talent the opportunity to implement innovation in the AI field, learn about current developments and best practices in the AI industry, and network with each other. The AI Hub Frankfurt thus contributes to making the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region an important location for the application and innovation of AI and to strengthening the region’s competitiveness.

→ Target groups

The AI Hub Frankfurt focuses on the most important target groups of economic AI innovation and transformation from the Frankfurt and Rhine-Main region:

The following target groups in particular will be considered:

  • Companies in the form of corporates and SMEs that (want to) use AI technology.
  • Start-ups and founders in the field of AI technology and application
  • Investors, business angels, VCs, family offices and funds investing in AI technology
  • AI talents: Graduates and (Young) Professionals with Data and AI Relevance

Specific to the above target groups, the AI Hub team works with partners to design and implement relevant programs. The individual programs are in turn oriented into different fields of action, as shown in the next section.

→ Fields of action

The AI Hub primarily pursues four areas of action, offering programs geared toward the aforementioned target groups:

AI events &
Networking

Our AI events form the basis for building an AI network. In this way, our members network with exciting players and companies from the region’s AI environment.

AI Consulting & Support

Our AI consulting offerings provide members with support for implementing, applying, and scaling AI technology in your organization.

AI start-up &
Innovation

With our services in the field of AI start-up and innovation, our members:inside build the bridge towards AI start-ups and innovative companies for investments, co-creation and venturing.

AI talents &
Skills

Through our hands-on AI training and workshops, members:in have the opportunity to bring and educate your teams on the journey of AI transformation.

→ Program 2023

Based on our four action areas, we have developed an exciting program for 2023 that addresses companies, startups, talents and investors from the region and promotes the application of AI:

UAI is the event series of the AI Hub Frankfurt with the aim to connect AI experts, start-ups and companies. With various formats, such as the AI Start-up or AI Talent Night, we bring together the AI ecosystem in Frankfurt and Rhein-Main.

Partner

The AI Launchpad program is designed for companies looking for AI use cases to test through workshop and implementation support. Together with our partner Microsoft, we offer interested companies with concrete ambitions the opportunity to implement a first AI use case in the company.

Partner

The AI Start-up Support Program is designed for innovative start-ups who want to get their business rolling with free training, workshops and cloud credits. Together with our partner Google Cloud, we offer a range of services aimed at fostering AI startups in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region.

Partner

The AI Upskilling program is aimed at SMEs and corporates looking for hands-on training in AI. Our training offer ranges from beginner courses to workshops for executives and technical training for specialists. Take this opportunity to prepare your teams for the data-driven future.

Partner

The AI Act Assessment offers companies the chance to examine their AI systems in light of the upcoming EU AI Act and prepare for the upcoming regulation. Together with our partner TÜV Süd, we offer you assessment workshops and consulting services, among other things, so that you are optimally prepared for the upcoming regulation.

Partner

With the AI Infrastructure project, we as AI Hub Frankfurt support the planned development of a computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence in Frankfurt am Main. Providing computational capacity for training large AI models is a key building block for the attractiveness of AI ecosystems, which we are happy to support.

Partner

The AI Financing program aims to advise and provide financing services to AI startups and other relevant AI companies in the region. Through our activities in this area, we aim to strengthen Frankfurt’s position as an investment and financial center in the field of AI technology.

Partner

→ Traction

In 2021 and 2022, we have already developed and successfully implemented various formats in the AI Hub Frankfurt. This includes, for example the UAI event series in Frankfurt with a total of about 1000 visitors, 80 start-ups, 250 talents and representatives of more than 200 companies.

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UAI Visitors
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Start-ups
0
Talents
0
Company

In addition, we have conducted various online and offline formats on special topics such as Trends for AI in ESG (200+ participants), including speakers from Oxford University, ZHAW Zurich and Goethe University Frankfurt.

In 2023, we will continue all existing event series and develop new, exciting formats that offer our members the opportunity to build their AI network and benefit from the knowledge of the community.

→ Vision: AI Hub HQ

Our vision is to physically consolidate all AI Hub activities into one AI Hub HQ. At HQ, companies, startups and SMEs will work together on their AI projects, products and services under one roof in the middle of Frankfurt. Co-working and co-creation activities thus form a central element. Companies should be given the opportunity to be present locally in order to give their AI experts the opportunity to exchange ideas with each other and with external experts. This creates new connections, innovative ideas and a strong community around AI. Member companies can also use the event space to host AI-related events. The AI Hub Frankfurt HQ project is currently in the planning and fundraising phase.

→ Next Steps

In December 2021, the idea for the AI Hub Frankfurt project was presented for the first time at the general meeting of the AI Frankfurt Rhein-Main e.V. association. Only 12 months later, in December 2022, the AI Hub Frankfurt was officially launched in front of more than 200 people, partners and sponsors. With an exciting program for 2023, we are launching with the mission of unleashing the potential of data and AI for Frankurt and the Rhine-Main region. We look forward to having you join us on this journey as well!

Conclusion

The AI Hub Frankfurt project offers a unique opportunity to place AI innovation and implementation in the Rhine-Main area and positively impact the competitiveness of the entire region. Thus, Frankfurt and Rhine-Main are also catching up with comparable projects of already successfully established AI business centers and ecosystems in Germany. One thing is clear: only together can we shape the AI transformation so that it becomes an advantage for Frankfurt, Rhine-Main and the people of the region. Welcome to the AI Hub – a home for AI in Frankfurt.

Become a member

As an AI Hub member, you’ll have access to a variety of offerings, events, and networking opportunities to help you advance your business, startup, or career. Take the opportunity to share and network with other companies, startups, investors and talent.

Start-ups, investors and talents can register for free! Packages for companies from 499€/month.

Initiators and heads

The initiators of the AI Hub Frankfurt project

Sebastian Heinz

Board AI Frankfurt
statworx GmbH

Marcel Isbert

Advisory Board AI Frankfurt
statworx GmbH

Stefan hunter

Board AI Frankfurt
City Frankfurt

Our partners

Welcome to the AI Hub

Join the AI Hub and become part of the future of Frankfurt and Rhein-Main.