Bosch Connected World ("BCW") is one of the most important industry gatherings for the digitalization of industry in Germany and does not have to shy away from comparison with similarly large events in the USA or Asia. The annual conference traditionally kicks off with a keynote speech by CEOs from international corporations such as BMW, Daimler and Nvidia. At this year's BCW in Berlin, Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller, CEO of TRUMPF, was the first guest speaker after Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung. The two technology companies have a lot in common: Bosch is a customer, supplier and development partner of TRUMPF. The TRUMPF editorial team has made the entire speech available for download here and summarizes the most important points:
About AI in industry
"Whether they like it or not, companies must join the race to successfully use AI today in order to ensure their long-term survival. That is why we at TRUMPF do not intend to simply "keep an eye” on AI developments, as one might say in a reductive way. As a pioneer in the industry, we will actively shape them. After all, only those who know how a machine works down to the last screw can make effective use of AI in production. […]"
TRUMPF CEO Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller during her speech at the start of Bosch Connected World in Berlin.
The limits to growth and sustainability
"Today, […] the big questions of the future can only be solved through technology and collaboration. Those questions include production issues, logistics or distribution in times of pandemics, and supply chain crises. But they also include the big issues of mankind – such as conserving natural resources and protecting the climate – for which we depend on each other. That is why I want to be very clear in rejecting any idea of "reducing growth". Because we can only innovate if we are profitable. And only if we are innovative can we move the decisive levers to combine prosperity and sustainability in a growing world!"
The role of technology in geopolitics and defense issues
"Today, it is not only high technology and collaboration that determine our prosperity. But also things that we are discussing more openly than ever before in light of the geopolitical upheavals in the world. For example, the defense capabilities of our Western alliance. This is not just about defense technology: microchips and other electronic components have become a crucial bargaining in geopolitics. Between the US and China, for example, and that also has an impact on our laser and EUV business."
