Heilbronn, July 9, 2025 – IPAI presents the next development stage of the first buildings of the future AI district in Heilbronn. On the Steinaecker development site, covering 30 hectares, a hub for more than 5,000 people working on the development and application of artificial intelligence will begin to take shape by the end of 2025.

Innovative construction methods and new materials are designed to enable collaboration, transparency, and continuous exchange in the work environment: central prerequisites for the development of new AI technologies, which IPAI is already driving forward with the setup of its own platform for the AI transformation. In the meantime, over 80 companies and institutions are participating in this. By means of the IPAI CAMPUS, IPAI is gradually scaling up this platform.

“We are pleased to have reached another important milestone for IPAI” says CEO, Moritz Gräter. “With the visualizations presented today, we are taking another step in realizing our vision of IPAI being the future European home of AI applications.”

The communications center forms the heart of the campus: an eight-story building, 60 meters tall with a total surface area of over 20,000 square meters. The glass facade mirrors the surrounding area, giving rise to changing lighting moods. It highlights the openness of the building and its role as a central place for meeting and exchange.

The living lab, on a surface of about 10,000 square meters, combines a hybrid-wood construction method with glass, vertical greening and integrated photovoltaic. It offers space for testing AI applications under real conditions, including workshops, training rooms and a certified beta data center. Flexible room structures, transparent facades, technical visual effects and a construction method facilitating modular use of the hall allow for rapid adjustments to different use scenarios.

With its wooden facade, in the form of three adjoining gable roof buildings, glazed roof and load-bearing timber structure, the 6,500 square meter Start-Up & Innovation places a strong emphasis on sustainable construction. The combination of working, meeting and communal areas creates a functional environment for companies and project teams in their early stages.

The drafts of the first construction phase presented today mark another stage in the development which began in 2022 with the initial construction of the innovation platform. Today, numerous key companies are involved, including DAX-listed companies such as Telekom, Audi and SAP as well as medium-sized enterprises like Fischer, EBM-Papst and Gemü. With modern working and innovation rooms, co-creation projects and targeted matchmaking formats, IPAI supports companies to identify the potential of artificial intelligence and transfer it successfully into specific applications. This is supplemented by offers of structured qualification programs, specialized AI infrastructure services as well as access to a solid network of leading partners and members.

All buildings are in line with a common model: technological progress, architectural uniqueness, diverse and consistently focused on interaction, sustainability and future viability. Green spaces, photovoltaic, use of rainwater and recycled materials are part of the basic configuration.

An important topic for IPAI: environmentally responsible and sustainable construction. That is why the company is striving to achieve a DGNB-Platinum Certification for the construction of its campus: It is the highest award issued by the German Sustainable Building Council. It assesses the ecological, economic, socio-cultural and technical quality of a building. Moreover, selected campus buildings are striving for WiredScore-Certification of the digital infrastructure. WiredScore assesses the digital connectivity and future viability of buildings – a decisive factor for technology-driven working environments.

The campus architecture reveals IPAIs aspiration: openness, accessibility and diversity. “The buildings symbolize our aspiration to develop and use artificial intelligence in an open, future-proof context”, emphasizes Gräter.

The drafts were prepared by the internationally renowned architectural firm MVRDV. The first buildings are scheduled to be ready for occupancy by the end of 2027.

(c) IPAI / MVRDV

More photos and information about the buildings are available here.

High-resolution, print-ready image material can be downloaded via this link (approx. 200 MB).

Baden-Württemberg macht sich auf, in der Weltliga der Künstlichen Intelligenz (KI) ganz vorne mitzuspielen. The German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg is gearing up to play a leading role in the artificial intelligence (AI) world league. With IPAI, an AI center with international format is coming into being, thanks to a grant of up to 50 million euros from the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. The whole AI value chain will be represented in the IPAI: from the qualification of specialists to research and development, application and commercialization of ethical, responsible AI. An ecosystem which promotes innovation and is unique across Europe brings together the most diverse companies, start-ups, research and science as well as key players from the public sector. Based on the IPAI fundaments of sustainability, digital responsibility and European sovereignty, research, AI development and corporate use cases are united in close cooperation with established partners and networks.

IPAI has been operating from leased premises in the ”Zukunftspark Wohlgelegen” (Wohlgelegen Future Park) since September 2022. IPAI embarked on the second development stage in June 2024, following commissioning and occupation of its first own building, IPAI SPACES. Furthermore, in the north of Heilbronn, a large international campus on an area covering about 30 hectares is taking shape as a European hot spot for artificial intelligence with the aim of strengthening Europe’s digital sovereignty.

Jan Denia
Press Officer
press@ip.ai