Geoeconomics: Germany is putting 14.5 billion into a train station - Elon Musk is creating a world power with less

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are talking about artificial intelligence at the same time as if they were negotiating weapons of mass destruction for the first time. Technological superpowers are defining the boundaries of our future while we're not even at the table.

Against this background, the investment summit in Germany raises a fundamental question: In which direction do we want to invest? In “location factors”, “bureaucracy reduction” or “infrastructure”? These are important topics.

However, the comparison between Stuttgart 21 and Starlink shows how different investments can have an impact. At 14.5 billion euros, the cost of the train station is higher than the approximately 12 billion dollars for the construction of the satellite constellation, which is currently changing the geopolitical balance of power. At the same time, 23 years of construction time for Stuttgart 21 is compared to the construction of Starlink within six years.

New train stations have their value. When we talk about “future viability,” we also have to take into account the strategic impact of investments: What skills do we need to survive in a world of technological power politics?

The political volatility of the Trump USA shows how urgent this question is. Because the United States leads in key technological areas, our dependence on them becomes a strategic risk. However, greater German and European independence cannot be conjured up politically. It must be based on our own technological leadership.