Huang's urgent message to Europe

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited France, Sweden, the UK, and Germany over seven days, delivering a pointed message: Europe must move faster on AI or risk losing the race for good.

Huang's case to Merz in Berlin

Speaking to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday, Huang said safety must be paramount but policymakers cannot regulate their way to technological leadership. There's nothing to regulate if the industry doesn't thrive.

“There's nothing to regulate if the industry doesn't thrive”

Regulate applications, not technology

Huang argued Germany should regulate AI applications the way it regulates internet products, rather than trying to regulate the underlying technology wholesale. We should be regulating the applications right away.

“We should be regulating the applications right away”

Merz seeks middle ground on regulation

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz replied that Europe was still trying to find balance between innovation and regulation. He rejected both no regulation and overly tight rules as answers.

AI as Germany's economic answer

Huang pitched AI as a solution to Germany's economic troubles, which led the country into recessions in 2023 and 2024. Germany's manufacturing, engineering, and industrial expertise are national resources AI could leverage.

The next wave is physical AI

Huang said the next phase of AI involves robotics, manufacturing, cars, and heavy industry. Electrons will never replace atoms, he argued, positioning Germany's industrial base as an advantage.

“The next wave of AI is physical”

Europe risks losing meaningful innovation

Huang's broader warning: if Europe spends too long debating AI regulation, meaningful innovation will happen elsewhere. The continent has moved early on rules while the US and China have pulled ahead in developing frontier models.