ReleaseWire Connect

In the current climate of working from home and online meetings, video conference tools like Zoom have safeguarded businesses' abilities to continue working effectively during the coronavirus pandemic. However, when conducting international business, language barriers can continue to impede effective trade.

In May, the German Bundestag approved new legislation with regards to autonomous driving cars and is just awaiting the signature of the Chancellor. This new regulation paves the way for businesses to begin turning a profit from autonomous driving services, which, in turn, would boost research and development into the technology.

New data protection technologies like responsible artificial intelligence can help innovative businesses compete in a highly competitive digital market. The numerous restrictions that have been implemented emphasise the necessity for businesses to protect the privacy of anybody whose personally identifiable information (PII) is stored in their systems. New data security approaches enable businesses to reap profits from sensitive data while also fostering trust by guaranteeing that customers' and employee's privacy is always protected. Organisations across the board must protect privacy consistently and competently regardless of where information sits or how data is accessed. This enables businesses to leverage sensitive data to power sophisticated analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence projects, despite the shift to the cloud.

Josef Lieven and his software engineering team are set to release Germany's first online vaccination passport, with the ambitious goal of enabling Europeans to travel this summer. T-Systems and software developer SAP, the two companies that created Germany's contact-tracing app, have been assigned by the European Commission to create a digital certificate. The certificate will verify whether a person has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, provided a negative test result, or possesses antibodies. The data is saved in a QR code which is authenticated by the EU, as well as its neighbours, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein.

Many carriers and regulators around the world have had their 5G plans disrupted by the COVD-19 pandemic, which has resulted in delayed or cancelled spectrum auctions and limits on towner construction. Despite this, there were more commercial 5G launces in 2020 than ever before.

The German government has announced that by 2025 the science ministry will invest €1.1 billion in quantum computing research and development whilst the economics ministry will invest €878 million in application development. The German economy minister, Peter Altmaier, commented, "Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionise key industries of our economies". He went on to say that it is their goal to establish Germany as "one of the best players worldwide in the development and practical application of quantum computing". This is one example of how Germany is making strides in the IT and technology industry – using technology to reimagining the way we manage supply and demand and testing new active substances.

By 2025, the German government intends to invest up to 700 million € in research into 6G technology. Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research stated that the first German research project into 6G technology would begin mid-April. The aim of the first funding measure, according to the ministry, is for it to lay the groundwork for an engineering environment for future communication technology, centred around 6G. Federal Research Minister, Anja Karliczek, said "We have to think about the day after tomorrow and help shape new key technologies and standards in communication technologies right from the start.

Cyber security has quickly become one of the most pressing issues for businesses across the world. This has been reflected in the sharp uptake of firms investing in cyber security spending over the last year. This is partly due to the global pandemic as the increase in remote working calls for a greater focus on cybersecurity, because of the greater exposure to cyber risk. Megan Hannes, Cyber Product Head for Hiscox said, "Managing [cyber security] in one office location has morphed into managing [cyber security] in huge numbers of workspaces across the country, almost overnight. The pandemic-induced chaos has bred opportunities for [cyber criminals], and they've been taking advantage".

Germany has frequently been described as a European tech powerhouse. This name is bestowed upon the nation due to their world-leading research facilities that drive innovative and imaginative new technology ventures. They are established as the second biggest global tech investor, after the USA and are home to an unprecedented number of high-tech start-ups. Germany's status as a technological giant is set to continue over the next decade with a wealth of opportunities for promising professionals to get involved within an ever-growing and fast-paced industry.

The German Port of Kiel is using ground-breaking technology from Siemens to monitor energy usage. By optimising the cloud-based technology, the team working there is able to improve operations by collecting a wide range of data. This project focuses on the shore power system which allows ships to connect to an onshore power plant rather than using their own generators, thus improving air and noise quality. Siemens has stated that the new technology will enable operators at the port to "determine consumption, identity faults, avoid downtimes, and plan maintenance routines better".