Bavaria's hubs for Artificial Intelligence

Bavaria is strategically expanding its pioneering role in the field of Artificial Intelligence. As part of the High-Tech Agenda Bavaria (HTA), a statewide research network has emerged with specialized research and innovation centers at the AI hotspots in the Free State. The goal is to promote scientific excellence, consolidate regional strengths, and accelerate the transfer to the economy and society. 

The starting point is the AI node Intelligent Robotics in Munich. It is complemented by three thematic nodes in:

  • Erlangen-Nuremberg with a focus on health and medical technology,

  • Würzburg with a focus on Data Science,

  • Ingolstadt as a center for AI-based mobility.

This network is complemented by the AI production network in Augsburg, which bridges the gap between research and industrial application. The focus here is on the practical implementation of AI technologies in production. 

Based on these five anchor points, a comprehensive AI ecosystem is being established across Bavaria: Intensive networking, knowledge transfer, and strategic partnerships between locations and renowned international partners ensure that research results quickly lead to marketable innovations and AI technologies contribute to value creation across the region.

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Intelligent Robotics at the Center

At the heart of the Bavarian AI network lies the Center for Intelligent Robotics in Munich. Ranked 2nd globally in the 2024 CS-Robotics ranking, Munich brings together the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) and the Munich Center for Machine Learning (MCML) as a joint initiative of the two excellence universities TUM and LMU, the DLR Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics, and other key players to form a unique ecosystem. Serving as the control center of the Bavarian AI network BAIOSPHERE, Munich plays a key role in expanding Bavaria as a leading AI hub. 

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Erlangen-Nuremberg: AI for Health and Medicine 

Erlangen-Nuremberg combines medical technology and artificial intelligence in the internationally recognized Medical Valley: At the AI Health Hub of FAU, at the AI University TU Nuremberg, and at Siemens Healthineers, impulses for digital diagnostics, smart sensors, and personalized medicine are being created. The close collaboration with Munich's health ecosystem - Helmholtz Zentrum München, LMU and TUM with their university hospitals, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (BAdW), as well as industry partners such as Roche and Brainlab - creates synergies; numerous professorships and 239 research-oriented medical technology companies in Bavaria bring innovations from both locations to people.

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Würzburg: Data Science in Focus 

Würzburg is the data science center in the Bavarian AI network. With the newly established Center for Artificial Intelligence Data Science (CAIDAS) at the University of Würzburg (JMU) and the Competence Center Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIRO) at the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, data is turned into knowledge and knowledge into progress. Research, transfer, and interdisciplinarity are at the core - whether in science, industry, or the public sector. This is where the data intelligence of tomorrow is being developed. 

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Ingolstadt: Rethinking Mobility 

Ingolstadt is Bavaria's hub for AI-based mobility; the Technical University of Ingolstadt is researching autonomous driving, unmanned flying, and intelligent vehicle production. Together with the broad research expertise in the Munich area - especially in aerospace and geodesy at TUM - and a unique industrial environment with BMW, Audi, MAN, Knorr-Bremse, Airbus, IABG, and Hensoldt as well as startups like Isar Aerospace and Helsing, a comprehensive AI mobility ecosystem is emerging from basic research to application and an internationally visible innovation engine for sustainable, connected, and secure transportation systems.

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Augsburg: Future of Production 

In Augsburg, the University of Augsburg, Augsburg University of Applied Sciences, the Fraunhofer Institute for Foundry, Composite and Processing Technology (IGCV), and the DLR Center for Lightweight Production Technology (ZLP) combine their expertise to research AI-supported production technologies. Since 2020, the consortium has been developing practical solutions in close cooperation with regional industrial partners - from digital twins to learning manufacturing processes, generative design, and resilient supply chains. 120 companies are involved in the network; 7,000 m² of shared research space is available for projects.