Germany draws over €225 billion in new corporate pledges as Merz pitches defense, AI and chips

Companies including Amazon and Nvidia pledged more than €225 billion in investment in Germany at an Invest in Germany summit in Berlin on October 20, the economy ministry said, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz pitched defense, semiconductors and artificial intelligence to global investors, Reuters reported.

The summit commitments add to more than €800 billion in investment that German companies have pledged through 2028 under the Made for Germany initiative, an industry-led program launched in mid-2025.

Merz said Germany is investing in defense, chips and AI to raise long-term productivity and strengthen economic sovereignty, and set a goal of quadrupling the country’s AI computing capacity by 2030, according to a summary of his remarks.

Amazon commits €16 billion for 2027

Amazon said it will invest more than €16 billion in Germany in 2027, including €4.8 billion to expand its AWS cloud region in Frankfurt and its AI infrastructure, along with new logistics sites, its Amazon Leo satellite broadband network and a second robotics and AI research lab in Berlin, the company said.

Merz pledged to cut red tape, speed up approvals and upgrade infrastructure, and said he would push for an EU-wide harmonized corporate framework, known as EU Inc., as soon as possible. He also said he is working at the European level to ensure AI regulation supports innovation.