Give us your feedback Thank you for your feedback. Germany's Max Planck Society creates Nobel Prize winners. Most recently, in 2014, physicist Stefan Hell, one of its scholars, was recognised for a breakthrough in microscope technology, allowing much smaller structures -- less than 200 nanometres -- to be seen. Commercialising this kind of highbrow abstract research, however, has been a different matter. While the alumni of California's Stanford University have filled Silicon Valley with start-ups, Germany's research institutes have not created clusters on the same scale.

Germany's Max Planck Society creates Nobel Prize winners. Most recently, in 2014, physicist Stefan Hell, one of its scholars, was recognised for a breakthrough in microscope technology, allowing much smaller structures -- less than 200 nanometres -- to be seen. Commercialising this kind of highbrow abstract research, however, has been a different matter. While the alumni of California's Stanford University have filled Silicon Valley with start-ups, Germany's research institutes have not created clusters on the same scale. A new tech hub -- Cyber Valley -- in southern Germany between Stuttgart and Tübingen, is attempting to create new kinds of collaboration between academics and businesses.

Give us your feedback Thank you for your feedback. Germany's Max Planck Society creates Nobel Prize winners. Most recently, in 2014, physicist Stefan Hell, one of its scholars, was recognised for a breakthrough in microscope technology, allowing much smaller structures -- less than 200 nanometres -- to be seen. Commercialising this kind of highbrow abstract research, however, has been a different matter. While the alumni of California's Stanford University have filled Silicon Valley with start-ups, Germany's research institutes have not created clusters on the same scale.

Today, Amazon and the Max Planck Society announced that they intend to enter into a strategic collaboration to promote research in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Amazon plans to build an Amazon Research Center adjacent to the campus of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tuebingen. As part of the Cyber Valley initiative, the new center intends to bring together international key players from science and industry to concentrate their research activities in the field of AI. Amazon plans to invest 1.25 million Euro over the coming years to fund research groups in Tuebingen's Cyber Valley tech initiative. Cyber Valley was launched in December 2016 and focuses on AI research, such as robotics, machine learning and computer vision.

Over the coming years, the technology company Amazon – like the other Cyber Valley partners from industry – will contribute € 1.25 million to setting up research groups in the Stuttgart and Tübingen region. The Max Planck Society, the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, the universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen as well as companies such as BMW, Bosch, Daimler, IAV, Porsche and ZF Friedrichshafen have joined forces in the collaboration project to drive forward research on intelligent systems and to create an environment for more successful start-ups. The first research groups planned as part of the initiative are currently being set up. "With Amazon joining the Cyber Valley, our idea to create a fruitful environment for business activities will gain momentum by expanding AI research in the Stuttgart and Tübingen area," indicated Martin Stratmann. "Only by bringing together world-class research and entrepreneurial spirit can we create the breeding ground for innovations that may prove to be technological breakthroughs in the future." Other Amazon projects also support the goal of turning Cyber Valley into a creative hotspot for scientific progress and economically successful innovation.

Ecommerce giant Amazon has announced a new research center in Germany focused on developing AI to improve the customer experience -- especially in visual systems. Amazon said research conducted at the hub will also aim to benefit users of Amazon Web Services and its voice driven AI assistant tech, Alexa. The center will be based in Tübingen, near the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems' campus, and will be staffed with more than 100 machine learning engineers. The new 100 "highly qualified" jobs will be created over the next five years, it said today. The site is Amazon's fourth Research Center in Germany -- after Berlin, Dresden and Aachen.

"The Max Planck Society has created a scientific beacon of light here which beams far and wide, attracting both emerging and established scientists from all over the world," remarked Max Planck President Martin Stratmann. The new building, which houses all three of the Institute's departments, was constructed between September 2014 and March 2017. It was funded by the federal state of Baden-Württemberg's government which places great emphasis on research into intelligent systems: "With its Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen and Stuttgart, the Max Planck Society has firmly established one of the key research fields in the digital transformation in Baden-Württemberg," indicated Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann. "The federal state has contributed € 41 million to the new building in Tübingen – this represents a sound investment which will help ensure that Baden-Württemberg remains a leading centre of research on artificial intelligence." The new building provides scientists with an outstanding environment in which to advance their theoretical and experimental research.

Stuttgart, Germany – Germany is getting its first Cyber Valley: to drive forward research in Baden-Württemberg on artificial intelligence, Bosch and partners from politics, business, and science are pooling their strengths in a new initiative. Modeled after Silicon Valley, Cyber Valley's aim is to translate findings from basic research into concrete industrial applications. "Machine learning and artificial intelligence are key competencies in shaping the connected world," said Bosch CEO Dr. Volkmar Denner at the Cyber Valley kickoff in Stuttgart. "In the international competition for innovation, Germany should not sit back and allow major IT companies from abroad to dominate these areas." Bosch is supporting the Cyber Valley venture to the tune of some seven million euros.