IPAI, the innovation platform for applied artificial intelligence, has appointed machine learning expert Dr. Marc Kirchner as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Kirchner brings 15 years of senior leadership experience, most recently as a senior engineering manager contributing to building Apple Intelligence’s global infrastructure.
He joins CEO Moritz Graeter and CFO Dr. Benjamin Schiller on the executive board. Kirchner’s mandate is to steer the innovation platform through its next phase of expansion and to accelerate the AI transformation of its network.
“Securing an expert with Marc’s background is a major win for IPAI,” said CEO Moritz Gräter. “With his deep technological expertise and understanding of digital business models, he is the ideal leader to position IPAI for our next growth trajectory.”
IPAI is a unique initiative co-initiated by the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg, the City of Heilbronn, the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, and the companies of the Schwarz Group (parent company of retailers Lidl and Kaufland).
As CTO, Kirchner will strengthen IPAI’s technology approach. A key priority will be accelerating the AI transformation of the network’s more than 130 member and partner companies. He will guide these partners through the full innovation cycle, from initial needs analysis to implementing real-world AI use cases.
Kirchner brings 22 years of total experience in machine learning and software engineering. His career also spans significant industrial, entrepreneurial, and academic milestones. Before joining Apple, he served as CTO of the Baden-Württemberg-based AI startup Pallas Ludens, overseeing its successful acquisition to Apple. He also held the position of Director at Carl Zeiss AG’s corporate research, where he founded the Zeiss Digital Innovation Lab, and conducted research at Harvard Medical School and the Technical University of Munich.
“Heilbronn is rapidly becoming Europe’s most exciting hub for applied Artificial Intelligence,” said Dr. Marc Kirchner. “I look forward to shaping this dynamic ecosystem and helping the European economy unlock the full potential of AI. IPAI offers the perfect environment to make that happen.”
Contact IPAI
Jan Denia
Press Officer
press@ip.ai