AI in High-Tech Manufacturing: South Netherland’s Road to European Excellence
South Netherlands stands as one of Europe’s foremost high-tech manufacturing ecosystems, led by the Brainport region. Strategically located around the city of Eindhoven, Brainport has become synonymous with advanced innovation, knowledge-driven entrepreneurship, and smart specialisation. Anchored by global players such as ASML, Philips, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, the region has cultivated a globally respected industrial supply chain, known for its excellence in semiconductors, medical systems, mechatronics, and precision manufacturing.
With over 6,000 high-tech companies, 21 municipalities, and a population exceeding 800,000, Brainport functions as an industrial braintrust. The region’s companies and institutions are deeply integrated into global value chains while maintaining strong local roots. This unique combination enables Brainport to deliver cutting-edge machines and technologies, as well as sustainable growth, high-quality employment, and resilience amid geopolitical and market shifts.
A model for collaborative innovation
What makes Brainport unique is its triple helix structure: tight-knit collaboration between industry, government, and academia. Institutions like Technical University Eindhoven, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, and TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) work hand-in-hand with industry consortia such as Brainport Industries and regional authorities like the Province of North Brabant. This approach has accelerated the development of complex machines and digital technologies, all while maintaining a strong commitment to societal benefit. The region’s strategic focus lies not only in developing technology, but in ensuring it is sustainable, inclusive, and human-centric — principles aligned with the European Union’s Industry 5.0 vision¹.
AI: a cornerstone of future manufacturing
Artificial Intelligence is increasingly pivotal to Brainport’s innovation roadmap. As a member of the Dutch AI Coalition (NL AIC), the region plays a critical role as AI Hub Brainport, supporting national efforts to apply AI in key sectors including healthcare, mobility, and manufacturing². This hub brings together technology providers, end users, educators, and public institutions to co-create AI solutions tailored to industrial challenges—especially those faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Through this coalition, the region aims to foster safe, responsible, and trustworthy AI systems by creating experimental environments, connecting SMEs to advanced expertise, and addressing ethical and legal implications—central goals also outlined by the European Commission's AI Strategy³.
Infrastructure that accelerates innovation
Several collaborative innovation initiatives underpin Brainport’s AI strategy:
Experience Center Factory of the Future (Brainport Industries): A hands-on innovation space enabling companies and students to test emerging digital manufacturing technologies.
Didactic Factory: Located at the Brainport Industries Campus in the Experience Center Factory of the Future, it is a training environment where SMEs and vocational students learn to apply AI, robotics, and data-driven technologies in production processes.
EDIH-SNL (Klikpomorgen): The South Netherlands European Digital Innovation Hub, offering digital maturity assessments, access to test environments, support in AI deployment, and much more.
AI-MATTERS TEF (Testing and Experimentation Facility): A European initiative that provides real-world test beds for AI in manufacturing, under the Digital Europe Programme⁴. In the Netherlands, this initiative is led by Brainport Industries in collaboration with TNO and the Technical University of Eindhoven.
These programs reduce barriers for SMEs by providing access to infrastructure, training, and technical expertise, thereby helping more companies embrace digital transformation.
Challenges in the supply network
While flagship Original Equipment Manufacturers like ASML, Philips, and Thermo Fisher are already deploying advanced AI and digital manufacturing tools, many companies in their supply chains — especially SMEs — face structural barriers to adoption. These smaller firms often lack the technical expertise, financial capacity, or internal change management systems to implement transformative technologies like AI, edge computing, or digital twins.
This digital divide creates somewhat of a two-speed innovation landscape within the region, where the success of leading firms risks being undermined by bottlenecks further down the value chain. Moreover, the high-mix, low-volume, high-complexity nature of Brainport’s manufacturing ecosystem demands precision, adaptability, and deep integration of processes—features that AI can powerfully enhance, but only if it is made accessible and scalable for all players.
To overcome these barriers, Brainport promotes a joint innovation agenda, where infrastructure, pilot environments, and knowledge are co-developed and disseminated through open regional platforms. These include field labs, TEFs, and digital innovation hubs that act as “equalisers”—helping SMEs test, validate, and adopt cutting-edge technologies without bearing the full risk alone. Public-private programmes and EU funding—such as Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, and regional recovery funds—are critical enablers in this process, ensuring that innovation is not siloed but distributed equitably across the ecosystem. This is echoed by the Smart Industry Roadmap from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), which calls for stronger public-private partnerships to maintain the country’s world-class technology position⁵.
Conclusion: Europe can leverage Brainport’s blueprint
As the EU advances its twin transition (green and digital), regions like Brainport demonstrate how AI can be harnessed to boost productivity, secure technological sovereignty, and uphold the social values embedded in the Industry 5.0 framework: human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience.
Brainport’s strength lies within its ecosystem logic: not innovation for the few, but capacity-building for the many. Through platforms like AI Hub Brainport, the AI-MATTERS TEF, and the EDIH-SNL, the region creates a comprehensive continuum— from awareness and training to experimentation and industrial deployment. This makes it an ideal partner for (European) collaboration, knowledge exchange, and scaling of AI solutions.
Footnotes
European Commission – Industry 5.0: Towards a sustainable, human-centric and resilient European industry: https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/industry-50-towards-more-sustainable-resilient-and-human-centric-industry-2021-jan-07_en
Dutch AI Coalition (NL AIC) – AI Hub Brainport: https://nlaic.com/hubs/brainport/
European Commission – Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence 2021 Review: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/coordinated-plan-artificial-intelligence-2021-review
AI-MATTERS – TEF for Manufacturing: https://ai-matters.eu
Smart Industry Implementation Agenda (RVO Netherlands): https://www.smartindustry.nl