INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

They are the driving force and guarantee of a future-oriented cluster. They translate creative services into digital solutions:
Those involved in Information technology are the driving forces behind digital change and are the trailblazers of industry 4.0.

Companies in Leipzig's IT sector digitise information of all kinds, and technical communications service providers have set up one of Germany's most modern telecommunications networks in the city. Both sectors profit from the market-oriented education at Leipzig's universities, they prove their international competitiveness and are dedicated "local hosts" to the success of Leipzig's industry.

Leipzig's lively university landscape with its strong technical character is providing companies in the sector with the skilled workers of the future.

IT companies are ubiquitous in Leipzig. Information technology is the driving force behind the IT, media and creative industries. Exciting start-ups and an above-average development in employee and turnover figures make the IT industry the cluster's No. 1 growth sector. Leipzig thrives on its modern and efficient telecommunications system. This is probably one of the reasons why the "Who's who" of Leipzig's market leaders in telecommunications are drawn here and are continuously expanding their business activities and locations. Numerous Leipzig companies have entered the market, while international companies such as Trivago or TomTom are successfully operating in their Leipzig locations.

Coordinating the activities of the Central German IT sector and increasing their visibility - is the main concern of Cluster IT Mitteldeutschland e. V. The industry network based in Leipzig was founded in 2009 by seven regional IT companies and represents the interests of the IT industry in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. More than 50 members and partners (site only in german) now belong to the IT cluster. The association includes both large, well-known companies and smaller, new companies. Institutions and universities are also part of this industry network.

The association works to recruit and safeguard the skilled labour potential (site only in german) in Central Germany. To this end, the Cluster IT Mitteldeutschland works closely with universities in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia to identify employment potential in the Central German IT sector.

In April 2017, the City of Leipzig successfully asserted itself in a national competition in the context of the Digital Hub Initiative with a focus on "Smart Infrastructure". Together with Dresden, it is now one of the twelve national digital hub locations selected by the Federal Ministry of Economics. 

Leipzig will position itself under this umbrella brand both nationally and internationally as a relevant location for digitisation in the fields of energy, Smart City and EHealth = "Smart Infrastructure Hub Leipzig" as well as for further development.

The main task is to strengthen existing projects/potentials in the above-mentioned subject areas and to launch new supplementary projects.

The "hub" is synonymous with the integration of research, start-ups and established businesses.
Leipzig, is already firmly established as an energy metropolis. The operation of virtual power plants and energy trading are the foundations for successful national and international business models. The lessons drawn from the structural change will be incorporated into the Smart Infrastructure Hub. One important task involves networking established companies with new ones in order to conduct pilot projects.
Cutting-edge research in Leipzig in the fields of energy management, energy technology, urban planning and environmental research will be supplemented using digital skills and better networked by a cross-university competence centre for digital energy management and Smart City.

Their innovative effects are not only revolutionary in the entertainment sector: The broad term "APITs - Applied Interactive Technologies" describes the interactive, technology and method-based potential of games for the industrial revolution 4.0., which includes technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed and extended reality, artificial intelligence (AI) and the methods of gamification.

In the Central German region, highly qualified academic specialists are being trained and qualified research is being carried out in the games sector at numerous universities and educational institutions.

The association "Games & XR Mitteldeutschland e.V." (site only in german) supports these developments in Leipzig and central Germany. Its aim is to actively participate in the structural design of the Central German region in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia by offering networking and further education opportunities, to create a transfer of knowledge to other industries far removed from games and to strengthen the economic and cultural significance of games, virtual technologies and narrative methods.

The "Studie zur Medien- und Kreativwirtschaft in Leipzig 2017" (Study on the Media and Creative Industries in Leipzig 2017) presents new figures and location factors for the industry. The study analyses the situation of Leipzig companies in the media and creative industries, and their seven sub-sectors, including, for the first time, a special focus on Information technology.

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