Spending on artificial intelligence in Germany grew by almost 50%

Spending on artificial intelligence technologies in Germany in 2026 will grow by 48% - to €28.7 billion. A year earlier, the German AI market was estimated at €19.4 billion.

This is according to a new forecast by the German digital association Bitkom, compiled based on data from the research company IDC. The calculation includes spending on software, IT services, and hardware necessary for the operation of artificial intelligence systems.

The main driver of growth is generative AI. In 2026, spending on such technologies, including services like ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini, will almost double - from €5.7 billion to €11.5 billion. Thus, generative AI is already driving about 40% of all spending on artificial intelligence in the country.

The largest share will go to software - €16 billion, which is 65% more than last year. Spending on AI-related services will grow by 30% to €6.8 billion, and on hardware - by 32% to €5.8 billion.

According to Bitkom, the current acceleration is due to companies moving from experimenting with AI to its full-scale use in business processes. The technologies are increasingly being adopted by companies of various sizes and from different industries.

This trend is confirmed by a separate September Bitkom survey: artificial intelligence is already used by 57% of German companies with at least 20 employees. A year earlier, this figure was 36%, and two years ago - only 20%. Another 38% of enterprises are planning or discussing the introduction of AI.

Along with the spread of the technology, corporate budgets are also increasing. 45% of surveyed German companies reported that this year they are spending more on AI than in 2025. At the same time, businesses cite computing infrastructure and cloud capacity, data preparation, and integration of AI into existing IT systems as the main expense items.

Bitkom expects that rapid growth will continue next year as well. In 2027, spending on AI in Germany could reach €40.3 billion - another 40% more than the forecast for 2026.

The new estimates were released ahead of the AI, Data and Quantum Summit in Berlin, which takes place on September 22-23. More than 2.5 thousand representatives of business, the technology sector, academia, and government institutions are participating in the event.

Source: Bitkom