"The technology is there. The question is who applies it."

Dr. Christian Temath leads KI.NRW, the state's central competence platform for applied artificial intelligence – and he has a clear agenda: making AI work not just in the lab, but on the shop floor. As Managing Director since 2020, Temath and his team at Fraunhofer IAIS in Sankt Augustin are working to establish NRW as one of Europe's leading locations for applied AI. KI.NRW connects cutting-edge research institutions, innovative start-ups, and industrial companies – with a particular focus on small and mid-sized enterprises that often lack the resources to navigate the AI landscape on their own. Through specialist events, consultation formats, and targeted networking, the platform bridges the gap between research excellence and practical implementation.

Temath's background is telling: a doctorate in business informatics, years of management consulting in the technology sector, and hands-on experience applying AI at an international e-commerce company. He knows both sides of the equation – the research and the real world.

In this interview, he explains why NRW's AI ecosystem is stronger than many realize, where the actual bottlenecks in AI transfer lie, and what it takes to move companies from awareness to action. He also outlines why events like the Tech Impact Festival matter – not as showcases, but as catalysts for the kind of concrete collaboration that turns research into results.

Photo: KI.NRW

What is the mission of the KI.NRW competence platform?

Our mission at KI.NRW is to develop North Rhine-Westphalia into one of the leading locations for applied artificial intelligence. We connect cutting-edge research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, ensuring that AI solutions from research reach the economy more quickly – particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. In doing so, we support SMEs regardless of industry or level of maturity with specialist events, consultation hours, workshop formats, and publications on their journey into the world of AI.

At the same time, we create visibility for the AI competencies of our North Rhine-Westphalian ecosystem through our KI.Landkarte and our KI.Forum.NRW, and connect stakeholders with one another. Our ambition is to strengthen technological sovereignty and to shape AI in a way that places people at the center.

KI.NRW "accompanies people on their journey into the world of artificial intelligence." How is NRW currently positioned on the topic of AI?

North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the leading locations for applied AI in Europe. The state has a dense network of companies using artificial intelligence, including numerous hidden champions, as well as successful AI start-ups such as DeepL, Cognigy, and GEMESYS, and, from Aachen, ACCURE Battery Intelligence and amber Tech. With around 70 universities, countless degree programs with AI content, and a strong research landscape – including the Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and AI, the AI Center at RWTH Aachen University, and Fraunhofer IAIS, as well as the universities of Bonn, Cologne, and Dortmund – NRW possesses one of Europe's most powerful AI research networks. NRW further strengthens its technological sovereignty through excellent computing infrastructures such as the exascale supercomputer JUPITER in Jülich.

With the Forschungszentrum Jülich and Fraunhofer IAIS, the key institutions are also located in NRW and are currently developing the next generation of language models as part of the "Soofi" project. These resources substantially accelerate research, application, and transfer. At the same time, the location is being further consolidated through significant investments, such as the establishment of major technology companies like Microsoft in the Rheinisches Revier, and through NRW's leading role in the field of trustworthy AI, as well as a dynamically growing chip and semiconductor industry, particularly around the future cluster NeuroSys.

What are the biggest challenges?

Despite the very favorable starting position, challenges for the broad use of AI in NRW remain. In particular, many small and medium-sized enterprises do not yet have sufficient expertise to deploy AI in a meaningful and secure manner. Knowledge, strategic direction, and experience in identifying suitable use cases are often lacking. Added to this are uncertainties in handling data – particularly with regard to data security and quality, which are however fundamental for the use of modern AI models. Furthermore, it is evident that companies need support in digitalizing processes, upskilling employees, and establishing AI competencies on a long-term basis. Especially against the backdrop of the shortage of skilled workers, this competency development – known as AI literacy – is a central topic for the future.

NRW is already addressing these challenges with a wide range of initiatives and transfer centers – such as the AI service center WestAI, the innovation campus for AI and robotics – AI Village – or the Center for Applied AI in Duisburg – ZaKI.D. These offer low-threshold, practice-oriented access points that guide SMEs in particular step by step into the world of AI. KI.NRW also supports mid-sized companies on their AI journey: At this point, I would like to encourage companies to engage with AI and simply get started. On our website, for example, we point to selected AI qualification offerings for beginners, advanced learners, and professionals.

What value do universities like RWTH hold for NRW in this regard?

Universities such as RWTH Aachen University and the AI Center at RWTH are central pillars of the North Rhine-Westphalian AI ecosystem. They deliver excellent research, qualify skilled workers, and actively drive transfer into the economy. RWTH in particular is a powerful engine – whether in AI research, process automation, production engineering, or the development of neuromorphic hardware. Together with partners such as Forschungszentrum Jülich and various industry partners, RWTH is advancing the future cluster NeuroSys, which is a leader in the development of next-generation AI hardware. This is creating key technologies in NRW, such as neuromorphic chips, which could form the basis of energy-efficient AI systems in the future.

What impulses do you want to set at the Tech Impact Festival, and what do you expect from the festival?

In my moderation of the format "Semiconductor Initiative in Aachen for NRW," my primary concern is to show how much potential lies in the combination of cutting-edge research, regional industry, and innovative start-ups. I want to make clear how important it is not only to develop new technologies scientifically, but to bring them into application early – whether in manufacturing, mobility, medicine, or digital infrastructures. From the event as a whole, I expect new impulses for exactly this kind of transfer. But also that we bring stakeholders on board in order to collectively pick up pace and bring innovations and products into application that create genuine added value and compete at the forefront globally.

The framework for this is in place: with around 1,500 researchers, companies, and innovators, the Tech Impact Festival brings together relevant actors from various disciplines in one place. This exchange is crucial for recognizing technological trends early, initiating new collaborations, and actively shaping the future of NRW as a location together. In short: I expect intensive conversations, fresh perspectives – and very concrete ideas for how we can bring innovations into practice more quickly.