AI made in BW: Cyber Valley and Ipai sign letter of intent

The innovation campus Cyber Valley from the region Stuttgart/Tuebingen and the newly established Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (Ipai) in Heilbronn announced the intensification of their cooperation at the Stallwaechterpary, the political summer party at the representation of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg in Berlin. The joint letter of intent is meant to support the transfer of excellent research into applications and promote the sustainable development and expansion of value creation through artificial intelligence (AI). This shall strengthen Baden-Wuerttemberg as a business location and expand the state’s position as a European beacon for AI.

Cyber Valley is Europe’s largest research collaboration and leading centre for excellence in modern AI and robotics. The ecosystem enables collaboration and a rapid exchange of knowledge between partners from science, business, and society. Cyber Valley strengthens research, development, application, and dialogue about technologies of intelligent systems.

With Ipai, an innovation ecosystem with an application-oriented focus is being created in Heilbronn, which creates optimal conditions for companies, start-ups, research, and science to put AI into practical use along the entire value chain.

Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann supports the future cooperation between the two institutions: “Artificial intelligence is the ‘key to the world of tomorrow’. As a country of tinkerers and doers, we must aim to produce this key ourselves. As a business location, we face tough global competition, for example from Silicon Valley or Shenzhen in China. If we want to play at the forefront of the future technology AI, we have to combine two things here as well: FIRST: excellent science and SECOND: entrepreneurial creativity. That is the DNA of Baden-Wuerttemberg. And it is precisely this DNA that we are strengthening with the close alliance between Ipai and Cyber Valley”.

“The almost seven-year success story of Cyber Valley will also be continued in future in cooperation with Ipai,” says Petra Olschowski, Minister for Science, Research and Art of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

“I very much welcome the fact that the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Valley, as two key lighthouse projects of the state government of Baden-Wuerttemberg in the field of AI, want to work even more closely together in the future. In this way, the activities of Cyber Valley, Europe’s largest research cooperation for AI, can optimally interact with the activities of the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence as an AI value-added centre in world-class format. The common goal must be to quickly turn excellent research findings into economic success. Because the tough global competition has recently intensified again due to powerful foundation models of generative AI. I am convinced that our ‘KI-Power-Tandem’ will take a leading position in global competition – and will thus be a win for the whole country,” says Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister for Economy, Labor and Tourism.

“We are pleased to have gained another AI location in Baden-Württemberg with Ipai,” says Rebecca C. Reisch, Cyber Valley Managing Director. “In this way we can shape a technologically sovereign future together, in which the potential of intelligent systems and modern robotics is used for the benefit of all. With AI ‘made in THE LÄND’ we are consolidating our European leadership – strong in research and entrepreneurial.”

“Putting the various players in a state where they are capable of acting as quickly as possible has the highest priority – in order not to lose touch with the topic of AI and thus maintain competitiveness in the long term,” adds Moritz Gräter, CEO of Ipai. “For this it is important to open up mutual access to our different networks and to encourage the communities to interact even more.”

With the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (Ipai) in Heilbronn, a center for AI with an international format is being created with initial funding from the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. The entire AI value chain is to be mapped in Ipai – from the qualification of specialists, research and up to the development, application and commercialization of ethically responsible AI. In the future, a wide variety of companies, start-ups, research and science as well as actors from the public sector will come together in an innovation-promoting ecosystem that is unique in Europe.

Cyber Valley is Europe’s leading center for excellence in modern AI and robotics. As an ambassador for entrepreneurship, Cyber Valley has the task of strengthening the research, development and application of intelligent systems as well as the exchange between scientific disciplines. With a focus on the ethical and social aspects of AI, Cyber Valley promotes dialogue between partners from politics, science, business and society and strives for a future in which the full potential of intelligent systems is used for the benefit of all. Cyber Valley is based in the Stuttgart-Tuebingen region and is funded by the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Jan Denia, Marketing & Communications
press@ip.ai