AI Deep Dive: Strategic investing in the age of intelligence

The Netherlands can and does not need to compete with the United States and China in the race for ever larger and more expensive AI language models, and should also not wish to copy that approach. This is shown by a new deepdive study by Invest-NL in collaboration with ROM Netherlands. The research demonstrates that the Netherlands is primarily strong in those parts of the AI chain where qualitative data, energy-efficient technology, reliable infrastructure, and specialist knowledge are crucial. To capitalize on this position, investments and a robust AI industry policy are necessary.

The study, written by AI expert Stefan Leijnen, analyzes how global AI development is shifting towards new energy-efficient hardware and new data flows and applications that are heavily anchored in physical processes and industrial data. According to the report, the Netherlands can distinguish itself internationally in these domains if it makes strategic choices now.