A new report commissioned by the city of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Economic Board urges the capital’s tech sector to build much stronger ties with the Brainport tech hub around Eindhoven.
Written by Haroon Sheikh, a professor of strategic governance of global technologies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the study warns that Dutch technology hubs operate too independently at a time when global competitors are integrating rapidly.
Fragmented national tech landscape
The research relies on a stack model that links raw materials, semiconductors, hardware, cloud infrastructure, networks, and artificial intelligence applications into a single supply chain.
Sheikh points out that tech companies in China and the United States invest across every layer of this stack, whereas Dutch regions continue to work in isolation.
Distinct profiles and political leverage
Eindhoven benefits from a focused profile built around major industrial firms, allowing regional leaders to secure significant federal backing through large-scale national funding initiatives.
By contrast, Amsterdam hosts prominent firms including Booking, Adyen, and Mollie, alongside a busy start-up ecosystem, but lacks a single unifying profile.
Local companies frequently treat one another as rivals for talent and market share rather than potential partners, which weakens the city’s influence in national policymaking.
Building sovereign AI technology
The report highlights artificial intelligence as an area where cross-regional collaboration is urgently needed.
Most Amsterdam-based tech ventures rely on AI models developed in China or the US, leaving local businesses exposed to international policy shifts and trade restrictions.
Combining chip manufacturing expertise from the south with software development and university research from Amsterdam could help build self-reliant Dutch technologies, the report argues.
