CES: Germany is Innovation Champion

Germany is one of 25 Innovation Champions, at least according to the American Consumer Technology Association. At the CES in Las Vegas, Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, took the award as an opportunity to take up the cudgels for Germany's innovative strength. "The fact that Germany has received an innovation award shows that we are at the forefront. German exhibitors are very much in the spotlight at CES, with many talking about the innovative strength of our country," said Wissing. Germany has already received the award in 2023.

In total, the CTA examined 74 countries for their innovative strength, including all countries in the European Union. In addition to Germany, the CTA recognized 24 other countries as innovation champions. 56 indicators were evaluated in 16 categories, including broadband access, education system, environmental quality, trade policy and IT security. Germany scored well in the categories of general freedom, start-up friendliness and openness to autonomous driving, among others. There were deductions in the category of openness for digital platforms.

When it comes to artificial intelligence, Germany is "one of the leading research and development locations in the world", emphasized Wissing. It is essential for Germany to secure its role in a competitive environment that is as globally uniform as possible. "And we are in close contact here in the USA in order to jointly support new AI-supported systems, such as autonomous driving, from a regulatory perspective so that we create the conditions to secure Germany's export strength," said Wissing.

Donald Trump means "a lot of work"

The Federal Minister cited the company Vay, which provides remote-controlled chauffeuring for electric cars, as an example of German innovative strength. The tele-driving service received provisional approval for remote-controlled journeys in Hamburg in 2022. The remote-controlled cars have been driving through Las Vegas' streets since the beginning of 2024. Vay is the world leader in remote driving, said Wissing.

In his opinion, the tariffs promised by the upcoming US President Donald Trump could make conditions more difficult. "We are campaigning for open markets, we don't want to see trade barriers, but a competitive environment that is as level as possible," explained Wissing. Tariffs and market access barriers are the wrong way to go. "But I can see that we have a lot of work to do here." Wissing later opened the German CES pavilion.

Heise Medien is the official media partner of CES 2025.

(rbr)