Dynamic intersection of German innovation and Greek talent in recent years with the entry of subsidiaries of German software companies into the Greek market. Their significant presence at this year’s TIF

German software companies that have set up operations in Greece are leveraging local know-how and helping the country’s digital transformation. The combination of German precision and Greek creativity seems to offer innovative software solutions both to the parent German software companies and benefits to the expansion and development of the sector in Greece, as presented at the 88th TIF.

Germany lags behind in artificial intelligence

Just 31% of office workers in Germany have some familiarity with artificial intelligence productivity automation, according to Oliver Wyman Forum research. An average of 15% of employees worldwide use artificial intelligence every day, while in Germany only 8%. When it comes to AI start-ups on a global scale, Germany is in the middle of the table, and a long way from the top three consisting of the US, China and the UK. According to Eurostat data, in 2023 in the EU countries IT businesses grew by 8% and in Germany slightly above average at 11.6%. Denmark, Finland, Belgium and the Netherlands are the countries with the highest adoption of artificial intelligence in business in the European Union. Microsoft is investing €3.2 billion to more than double its AI infrastructure and cloud capabilities in Germany and train experts. In fact, there is great concern that many specialties will be lost and workers will lose their jobs.

Why is Germany so behind in artificial intelligence? “Lack of leadership and vision, lack of qualified staff and lack of data. Also, the absence of guidelines for the use of IT in companies and the burden of training. The staff expects to be trained by the employer and is not motivated”, points out Martha Giannakoudis, head of the German company Synnous specializing in human resources and based in Dusseldorf. According to her, in Greece the motivation of employees for IT training is greater. “The Germans have recognized that Greece has taken steps forward in the field of digitization and have been impressed by the knowledge and way of thinking of Greek programmers. They see that it is an opportunity for investment and a vehicle for Germany to go to other markets”, he points out.

Innovative digital applications

Despite the difficulties of the Greek tech market in Greece, with the big local players holding the lion’s share of the market, German companies are setting up subsidiaries and trusting Greek developers. “The German company has seen a country that has changed drastically in recent years, has a digital transformation program and is the first in absorbing funds from the Recovery and Resiliency Fund and in actual projects from these funds,” says the CEO of P3 Hellas SA. Haris Kastanas. The Greek electrician-mechanist with 27 years of experience around the world took the opportunity to return to the country at a time when it is developing in the digital sector. “In some things, Greece has made leaps and is ahead of Germany. For example, the digital work card exists in Germany, but it is not valid. In Greece there are three KAD that use it”, emphasizes Mr. Kastanas speaking to Deutsche Welle. Thus, German companies, such as P3, choose Greece, where data can be produced and analyzed by experienced personnel for modern fields such as cyber security and green energy. “Our big bet is charging parks. The parent company P3 has created over twenty large parks across Europe. We are back to electrification, with a few chargers of 22 and 50 kWh. No one will sit and charge the car for five hours. We deliver a holistic charging experience with speed, safety, transport connectivity and entertainment,” he says, concluding: “You can’t have a charging park without digital services. The customer wants to be able to say, “I want this charger, I’ll be there in half an hour.”

Why do German companies come to Greece? “There is a lack of manpower in the sector. Companies are looking for so-called nearshoring, with a search for human resources for the implementation of their projects. The cultural difference with Greece is smaller compared to other countries”, says Alexis Papadimitriou, General Manager of Infoteam Hellas, based in Thessaloniki and the parent company based in Nuremberg, speaking to Deutsche Welle. On the other hand, it is a way for Greek programmers to work from their country for well-known companies with a good salary. “We are running a precision farming application with a network garden where it is possible to leverage suggestions e.g. for watering and for actions according to weather forecasts. Our next goals are tourism, energy and logistics, where we are in discussions”, says Mr. Papadimitriou, who came to Thessaloniki 2 years ago on behalf of Infoteam. He sees a change in the culture of cooperation of software companies in Greece and a mood of extroversion, which creates the conditions for the development of the ecosystem in the sector, despite unfavorable international conditions. In fact, in Greece there are more women participating in the field of programming than in Germany. “The improvement of the infrastructure, such as for example the arrival of the metro in Thessaloniki and the quality of life, when you can walk on the city’s beautiful beach after work, are attractive for investments”, emphasizes Mr. Papadimitriou. For him, the so-called “Greek demon” is what makes the difference: “It’s not just the technical part, it’s also getting the idea down. The creativity to build an algorithm and sequence it to run an application. In Germany, the framework is stricter, here creativity can breathe more,” he says characteristically.