Germany is set to announce an AI cooperation deal with Nvidia next week, including groundwork for physical AI to train robots and self-driving vehicles, Reuters reports

Germany plans to announce a cooperation agreement with Nvidia next week to spread AI through German industry, Reuters reported on 16 October, citing government sources, who said more partners beyond Nvidia are expected. Citing the German business daily Handelsblatt, which Reuters says reported the plan first, Reuters says the deal would support physical AI tools for training robots and self-driving vehicles and help develop powerful AI models for industrial use.

TNW, citing Handelsblatt, reports that Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Nvidia's chief executive Jensen Huang are expected to present the deal on Monday at an investment summit in Berlin, and that about a dozen German companies want to take part, among them Siemens, Audi and Black Forest Labs.

Neither Nvidia nor the German government has published anything about the agreement, and its value has not been confirmed: a figure in the Handelsblatt coverage is not used here. Physical AI, in Nvidia's usage, means models and simulation that let machines such as robots and cars learn to act in the real world; Nvidia sells chips and software platforms for it.

Until either side publishes the agreement, everything here rests on the Reuters and Handelsblatt reports. If the announcement is made on Monday, the Switchboard will report its terms then.

• Reported Reuters, citing government sources, reports that Germany will announce an AI agreement with Nvidia next week; citing Handelsblatt, it says the deal would support physical AI tools for training robots and self-driving vehicles. Reuters, via Global Banking & Finance Review
• Reported TNW, citing Handelsblatt, reports a Monday presentation by Merz and Huang, with Siemens, Audi and Black Forest Labs among interested firms. TNW