IBM has officially opened its new German Headquarters and Technology Campus in Ehningen, Germany. The event was attended by Ana Paula Assis, IBM Senior Vice President & Chair EMEA and Growth Markets, Wolfgang Wendt, Chairman of the Management Board of IBM Deutschland GmbH, along with 450 political and business leaders.
Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and State Modernization Dr. Karsten Wildberger participated in the inauguration. Also present were Thomas Strobl, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior for Digitization and Municipalities of Baden-Württemberg, as well as members of parliament from federal and state governments.
The campus is located next to the existing IBM Quantum Data Center in Ehningen. It brings together IBM’s German headquarters, research and development activities, and a newly designed Innovation Studio under one roof. There are 3,500 workstations across four buildings for use by employees, partners, and companies.
Dr. Karsten Wildberger stated: “The new IBM Technology Campus sends a strong signal for Germany as a location for innovation. IBM stands for technological excellence and global networking like no other company. This center for AI, quantum computing, and cloud technology is creating a place where the future is being shaped. Investments like this strengthen our digital innovation and ensure competitiveness and prosperity. I am delighted to be here today, where digitalization and progress are visibly converging.”
Thomas Strobl added: “The opening of the new IBM German headquarters in Ehningen proves IBM’s confidence in Baden-Württemberg as a business and technology location. This underlines the attractiveness of our country for innovative companies and shows that we offer good conditions for research, development and digital innovations. Nationwide, no other state invests as much money in research and development as Baden-Württemberg. We are drivers of innovation – and companies like IBM make a significant contribution to this.”
Wolfgang Wendt commented: “Our new IBM Technology Campus in Ehningen highlights the importance of Germany as a technology location for IBM and our deep connection to the region. With 115 years of presence in the German market, we will continue to build towards the future with our resilient architectures, sovereign AI and hybrid cloud approach – contributing to Germany‘s digital autonomy and economic well-being. We also have a strong research and development component here with laboratories and quantum computers, large local cloud data centers and additional planned investments into the billions by the 2030s. IBM is also building the workforce of tomorrow with a comprehensive range of training courses in close cooperation with universities and vocational academies.”
The architectural design was led by Kadawittfeldarchitektur while interiors followed IBM’s workplace standards developed by Ippolito Fleitz Group; both firms have received international recognition.
Campus structures surround a central marketplace that includes open spaces aimed at encouraging collaboration among employees from various departments such as research & development, consulting, sales, or administration. The environment features flexible working areas suitable for different business needs alongside green spaces.
