Netherlands counts 2,000 AI companies, including 525 in Amsterdam

Amsterdam seems to be a magnet for artificial intelligence companies. Of the around 2,000 Dutch AI companies, 525 are located in the capital. That amounts to 26 percent, Financieele Dagblad reported based on an analysis by RankmyAI, an initiative of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Rotterdam and Utrecht follow in distant second and third place.

Mostly thanks to Amsterdam, the majority (35 percent) of Dutch AI companies are located in Noord-Holland. The Dutch capital is home to multiple AI clusters, some containing dozens of enterprises.

Another such cluster will open in September, named The Stack. "We currently have 30 registered companies, but we are aiming for more than 200 companies by 2029," Esther Bisschop, who leads the initiative, told the newspaper.

But there are AI companies throughout the Netherlands, from Abcoude to Zaltbommel. Even a municipality like Kampen has four.

“The Dutch AI sector is strongly concentrated in Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland,” Jesse Weltevreden, a professor of digital commerce at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, told FD. “But if you look at the AI companies relative to total business activity, the provinces of Groningen, Noord-Holland, and Utrecht stand out.”

Breda in Noord-Brabant has 39 AI companies on the RankmyAI list, placing it in 12th position. The international company CM.com is based in Breda, among other locations. Handpicked, Boldly, and Aizy also have offices there.

According to Alderman Carla Kranenborg, Breda’s AI companies are typically linked to specific applications, such as healthcare or robotics, and fit well in the city’s ambitions to become a European hotspot for robotics and AI.

“We ensure that this is a pleasant place to live, work and recreate,” the alderman told BNR about attracting AI talent to Breda. “In addition, we are working on affordable housing, lab spaces, and opportunities to meet up.”