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Time for a New Era: Plattform Industrie 4.0 Leverages Industrial AI to Drive Forward the Digital Transformation
Press Release
Introduction
At the Plattform Industrie 4.0 joint booth, partners from industry and research are presenting their innovative solutions under the banner “Empowering Industrial AI Ecosystems.” Together in Hall 13, Booth C24, they are showcasing across 500 square meters how Industrial AI is to become the new driver of productivity and innovation for Germany as an industrial hub.
April 20, 2026, Hanover, Germany – The Plattform Industrie 4.0 joint booth at the 2026 Hannover Messe stands for a new era in industrial policy. In line with the motto “Empowering Industrial AI Ecosystems,” the platform highlights the strategic importance of Industrial AI for industrial value creation. In an environment marked by multiple challenges, the platform expresses confidence in the transformative power of Industrial AI to drive greater competitiveness.
Together with the initiatives on digital infrastructure (8ra) and data ecosystems (Manufacturing-X), Industrial AI will form the central guiding principle in the future – jointly orchestrated by all member companies under the umbrella of Plattform Industrie 4.0.
This is made clear by Henrik Schunk, Chairman of the Plattform Industrie 4.0 Steering Committee: “Plattform Industrie 4.0 has always taken a visionary approach. As the central strategic network for the digital transformation of industry, we have been driving data ecosystems and cloud–edge infrastructures for years – the crucial foundation for Industrial AI. This work now gives us the decisive advantage of harnessing our capabilities in Germany to shape the future of Industrial AI. The goal is therefore clear: We are taking Plattform Industrie 4.0 from a conceptual platform to a jointly supported initiative for implementation.”
Industry in Germany has a treasure trove of data with potential that is globally unique. How this treasure can be lifted and what key solutions are needed to do so is what the platform is now presenting at Hannover Messe. The focus being the ecosystem of sovereign infrastructure and data ecosystems as enablers for Industrial AI.
In close collaboration, business, research, and policymakers are sending a clear signal of this at the Hannover Messe. Kicking things off today, Monday, are German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Dr. Roland Busch, along with other CEOs, who will discuss the central importance of Industrial AI as part of the “Made for Germany” initiative. At the same time, the Plattform Industrie 4.0 booth is giving visitors a chance to experience AI-powered applications first-hand: Projects like RoX will be developing interfaces between data ecosystems and Industrial AI, and are demonstrating this using a prototype for AI-powered robotic systems.
On the Tuesday of the trade show, the topic of Industrial AI will be explored in greater depth at the Plattform Industrie 4.0 Leaders’ Dialogue, featuring high-caliber participants from the worlds of politics and business. Under the theme “Empowering Industrial AI,” they will discuss key questions such as: Where do we stand today? What does a European AI ecosystem look like? How do we scale Industrial AI and digital value creation – and what does it take to turn this spirit of optimism into real-life results? Among those participating in the discussion will be: German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche, Dr. Gunther Kegel (ZVEI e. V.), Cedrik Neike (Siemens), Kathrin Günther (TenneT Germany), Elke Anderl (T-Systems), Dr. Sabine Klauke (Airbus), Dr. Tanja Rückert (Bosch), Christian Klettner (BASF), Stephan Ilaender (STACKIT), and Dr. Michael Darms (Mercedes-Benz).
Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe AG in Hanover, is looking forward to welcoming around 500 participants and to an engaging discussion: “For years, the Leaders’ Dialogue has been one of the key dialogue formats for leading decision-makers from industry, business, and politics. In 2026, it is once again evident that the topics discussed regarding Industry 4.0 are shaping the agenda of the entire Hannover Messe.”
The fundamental importance of the Plattform Industrie 4.0 network is underscored by the visit of German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche, who will be talking with high-ranking industry representatives tomorrow, Tuesday, at the joint booth.
The Manufacturing-X exhibition area is showcasing the current implementation status of sovereign, interoperable industrial data ecosystems. What began as a vision is increasingly becoming reality, and demonstrators show how collaboration across industry and ecosystem boundaries is already working today. For example, a joint demonstrator from the Semiconductor-X and Decide4ECO projects will show live for the first time how two independent data ecosystems are seamlessly integrated and how cross-industry data exchange works in practice.
Finally, the 8ra Initiative (a European project for a sovereign digital infrastructure) will be presenting the current status of implementation and highlighting where results are already being put to use in real life. The connection between 8ra and IPCEI Artificial Intelligence (IPCEI-AI) will also be illustrated. The interactive 8ra central demonstrator (SAP, Siemens, Deutsche Telekom) is visualizing the 8ra architecture and ecosystem with various use cases.
Plattform Industrie 4.0 and its partners will be exhibiting this year in Hall 13, Booth C24. Experts from our various fields and projects will be available for personal discussions.
Partners at the Booth
8ra Initiative | Aerospace-X | Antrieb 4.0 | ApeiroRA | Catena-X Next | Chem-X | Cofinity-X |
Construct-X | Cube-C | Decide4ECO | Ecosystem Mobility | EdgeConnect | energy Data-X | Factory-X | Fluid 4.0 | GoGlobal2 | GREEN-Twin | International Manufacturing-X | Kicks for Edge | nxtAIM | Plattform Material Digital | PoQuaSIA | RoX | SCALE-MX | Semiconductor-X | Smart Systems Hub | SOOFI
Plattform Industrie 4.0 is a dynamic community of over 300 Germany-based companies and organizations from associations, politics, and science, whose goal is to shape the digital transformation. With Industrial AI, a powerful lever is now being added to ensure competitive strength, sovereignty, and resilience. Plattform Industrie 4.0 has proven itself as a driving force and catalyst for the future of industry. Its composition and working methods are unique on an international scale. Important concrete results and recommendations have been presented in the areas of business development, technology, law, labor, and skills development, and have been adopted and further developed by stakeholders in industry, associations, and science. Among the key results of Plattform Industrie 4.0 are the development of the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) concept, which has enabled the establishment of jointly operated data ecosystems such as Catena-X and Manufacturing-X, as well as the establishment of important international collaborations with France, the USA, Japan, and South Korea, among others. Together with the initiatives on digital infrastructure (8ra) and data ecosystems (Manufacturing-X), Industrial AI will form the central guiding principle of Plattform Industrie 4.0 in the future.
