Europe's AI future will soon flourish in Amsterdam

Europe's AI ecosystem is scattered

Europe has never lacked the ingredients for a world-class AI industry. We have brilliant researchers, ambitious founders, capital willing to invest, and large corporates hungry for innovation. The problem is that these ingredients are scattered, operating in silos, rarely connecting in ways that create momentum. What we've lacked is a coordinated ecosystem where these elements interact, collaborate, and accelerate together.

We've seen what's possible when these conditions do exist. Think of Station F in Paris and Kings Cross in London. They have demonstrated the power of bringing founders, investors, and corporates together in one place. Deloitte has visited these hubs as part of our AI learning journey and we can learn from their success. Now, we have the opportunity to build something equally powerful, or even better, right here in Amsterdam.

The talent that could become the next generation of European AI leaders often leaves the continent to build in Silicon Valley, where the ecosystem is already dense and interconnected. But we don't have to accept that as inevitable. We can create the same interconnected ecosystem here, locally, and connect across Europe.

The Stack: Orchestration by design

This September, The Stack opens in Amsterdam—a new AI hub where tech founders, operators, and investors share one home. Amsterdam is the gateway to Europe with world-class digital infrastructure and a proven track record in fintech. Now it's where AI will be built.

The Stack is a coordinated effort to accelerate European sovereign AI and reinforce the Eindhoven-Amsterdam corridor as a leading hub for AI innovation. This way we will compete globally, partner with global players, and contribute to a global AI ecosystem. But it will be European companies, built by European teams, creating European jobs and intellectual property.

Why Deloitte is backing The Stack

For Deloitte, backing The Stack is about recognising a fundamental truth: Europe’s AI future will be determined not by individual brilliance, but by ecosystem orchestration. 

The Stack is this deliberate orchestration of an AI ecosystem. It creates the conditions where interactions happen: a founder meeting a potential customer, an investor discovering a promising startup, a researcher connecting with an entrepreneur. These interactions turn into funding rounds, product launches and lasting partnerships.

AI is the catalyst for new ways of thinking, working and leading. But it is the ecosystem that makes the difference. At the Stack, we will utilise our industry expertise and global network to build connections between all ecosystem members and accelerate scalable routes to market and capital, while letting the community lead. We are keen on investing in and building these ecosystems further.