cortAIx Germany Strengthens Thales’ Global Push for Sovereign and Resilient AI

From left: Dr. Rainer Buehling (Director Strategy, Marketing and cortAIx in Germany), Dr. Bernhard Quendt (CTO Thales Group), Cedric Jean-Jacques Demeure (VP cortAIx Labs), Christoph Ruffner (CEO Thales Germany and Country Director) and Heiko Lütjens (Director Engineering and CTO Thales Germany) ©Thales

(IN BRIEF) Thales has opened a new cortAIx AI accelerator site in Germany, expanding its global network to five locations and reinforcing its focus on trustworthy AI for critical defence and security systems. The German cortAIx hub will develop resilient and transparent AI solutions for cybersecurity and military use cases, supported by Thales’ global expertise, extensive patent portfolio, and AI-enabled product base. Building on proven approaches used across NATO countries, the initiative aims to advance sovereign, ethical, and secure AI solutions capable of operating in complex, high-risk environments.

(PRESS RELEASE) LA DÉFENSE, 20-Jan-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Thales has expanded its global artificial intelligence ecosystem with the opening of a new cortAIx site in Germany in January 2026, marking the fifth location of its AI accelerator following France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore. The new entity strengthens Thales’ commitment to developing transparent, trustworthy, and resilient AI solutions, with a particular focus on critical systems and security-relevant defence applications.

The establishment of cortAIx in Germany responds to growing demand across the defence and security sectors for AI technologies that meet the highest standards of reliability, sovereignty, and resilience. As part of Thales’ global AI network, cortAIx in Germany will focus on advancing responsible AI solutions for cybersecurity and military use cases, including autonomous cyber defence, agent-based penetration testing, command and control systems, and sensor-centric applications.

Drawing on customer feedback and Thales’ in-house research, cortAIx identifies new opportunities for innovative and existing solutions that can be applied effectively to reduce operational complexity and support users through trustworthy AI. The cortAIx methodology spans customer-centric basic research, development of concrete use cases and minimum viable products, and the delivery of market-ready solutions. This approach has already demonstrated success in NATO countries where cortAIx is established, including Canada, the UK, and France.

The German site benefits from Thales’ extensive global AI expertise. Across the Group, more than 800 AI and data specialists are engaged in developing trusted AI solutions, supported by a strong intellectual property base with over 200 AI-related patents for critical systems in Europe. With more than 100 products already integrating AI, Thales continues to accelerate the deployment of AI-based systems in highly demanding and security-critical environments.

cortAIx in Germany is positioned as a central hub for AI innovation, bringing together advanced technology, skilled talent, and research capabilities. Its research and development activities focus on building resilient data and knowledge foundations, developing autonomous AI systems capable of operating in dynamic and security-sensitive environments, and securing AI systems against manipulation, malfunction, and hostile influence throughout their entire lifecycle. Through this expansion, Thales aims to further strengthen Europe’s and Germany’s sovereign capabilities while advancing ethical, transparent, and accountable AI for critical applications.

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies for the Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services addresses several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion.

The Group invests more than €4 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies. Thales has more than 83,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2024, the Group generated sales of €20.6 billion.

About Thales in Germany

Based in Germany for over 140 years, Thales in Germany is one of the largest national organisations of the Thales Group, employing around 2,200 people at a total of nine sites with their own production and development facilities. As a recognised part of the German high-tech industry, Thales in Germany offers its customers at home and abroad state-of-the-art, highly secure and available reconnaissance, radar, communication and information systems as well as services for secure land, air and sea transport and for civil and military security and protection requirements. The company also has a comprehensive portfolio of IT solutions for cybersecurity and manufactures and develops satellite components at its Ulm site.

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SOURCE: Thales