Nvidia CEO Tells German Manufacturers to Embrace AI Without Replacing Heavy Industry

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang urged German manufacturers to rapidly adopt artificial intelligence to "re-engineer" the country's economy, emphasizing that digital technology will not replace heavy industry. He spoke Monday at an investment conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Huang said Germany's manufacturing data and expertise are a "natural resource" that should be leveraged with AI, calling the industrial revolution "so mighty" that "you don't have another chance." He stressed AI would augment, not replace, capabilities in robotics, cars, and heavy industry, while addressing European concerns about U.S. tech dependence. Germany faces economic stagnation from high energy costs, Chinese competition in autos, and red tape, while Europe lags the U.S. in data center infrastructure. Huang advised Germany to keep AI knowledge local, saying "electrons will never replace atoms" but urging firms to codify expertise domestically.