Netherlands far behind United States in AI investments, missing growth opportunities
The United States is reaping the economic rewards of its aggressive investment in artificial intelligence, while the Netherlands remains far behind and is passing up chances to grow, according to a new report from ING.
The Dutch bank said Thursday that U.S. economic growth over the past six months would have been far weaker without major spending on software and IT hardware. By contrast, the Netherlands’ limited investment in AI is reportedly constraining its economic potential.
In the first half of this year, U.S. investment in AI climbed 23 percent compared with the same period in 2024, ING found. Dutch spending also increased but by only 3 percent.
AI now accounts for about 3 percent of the Netherlands’ gross domestic product, roughly half the U.S. share of 6 percent, the bank said. Dutch companies have stepped up software investment in recent years, yet American growth in that area has been considerably stronger.
Even so, the Netherlands is benefiting indirectly from the global AI boom, ING noted. Surging worldwide demand for AI technology has fueled exports from ASML and the wider semiconductor sector.
One major obstacle to Dutch AI expansion is the country’s strained electricity grid. Data centers rely on grid access to operate, but limited capacity has delayed new projects, the report said.
Still, ING pointed to one possible upside: because enthusiasm for AI remains tempered in the Netherlands, the nation could be less exposed if an “AI bubble” bursts. Such bubbles form when valuations soar on hype rather than results and collapse once investors start demanding real performance instead of promises.
