Information and Communications technology

Berlin offers ideal conditions as an ICT location – Along with a wide variety of IT-related research, there are many user industries located in the capital.

Why Berlin?

Ciarán O'Leary

"But if I look at the potential for development (... in Berlin), it is extremely promising. That is why I think that Berlin will be one of the leading start-up centers in a few years. There is no other place worldwide where I see so much pooled creativity and space for flexibility. I see that as the best sign of quality – we are not only attracting the best German companies, but the best from the whole world."

Ciarán O'Leary, Partner bei Earlybird

Roughly 7,300 IT companies with almost 63,500 employees and an annual turnover of more than €10 billion. The capital region is the site of large international companies like SAP, Microsoft, Siemens, IBM, Motorola, Oracle and eBay. 20 of the 30 largest eBusiness firms in Germany have headquarters or offices in the region.

  • Largest pool of IT and telecommunication professionals in Germany
  • Successful test market for new applications and services
  • Site of the IFA, the world’s largest trade fair for consumer electronics
  • Leading industry meeting place and home of the Berlin Web Week, Droidcon, LinuxTag
  • Highly concentrated, state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure including several data processing centers
  • Four universities and eleven institutes of higher education offer a variety of courses of study related to media and communications
  • Numerous initiatives and associations offer quick access to the regional and national IT sector. 
  • Close cooperation between science and industry at over 70 research institutions. 
  • 22 technology parks and business incubators within the city
  • Web-related events can be found at www.berlinwebweek.de

(Sources: Information from Berlin Partner GmbH, 2013)


Berlin is home to clusters of firms with expertise in the following fields:

Geolocation Services
Electronic Games
eGovernment
IT Security
Mobility and Communication
Web 2.0

Great potential for the future for Berlin’s ICT sector

Berlin is a recommended location for the ICT sector according to an analysis of the (city’s) potential through Berlecon Research. Berlin offers the best conditions, specifically in the Internet services sector and cloud computing, to position itself as an innovative and competitive location. There are many impulses here for founding companies:  there are a high number of IT companies already here, high-quality research is being done here, and there is potential for user industries for new technologies.