The heart of the
Swabian Silicon Valley

When Erwin Teufel, then Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, inaugurated the Böblingen/Sindelfingen Software Center in March 1996, nobody could have guessed what a success story it would become. "We crack the tougher nuts," says Hans-Ulrich Schmid, Head of the Software Center. "We are a supplier to many Swabian industrial companies," says Schmid, describing the focus of most of the companies in his IT company. At the end of 1995, the cities of Böblingen and Sindelfingen, together with the Böblingen Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the state government of Baden-Württemberg, sealed the foundation of the Software Center. At that time, energetic companies that had recognized the signs of the digital age were also involved: Daimler AG, Hewlett Packard and IBM Germany.

In the meantime, numerous other companies have become members of the Software Center, benefiting from the affordable office space with modern infrastructure. In addition to various software manufacturers, the members also include experienced IT consultants, internet companies, providers of individual software and operators of IT infrastructures. They not only contribute their core competencies, but also develop their own business models through successful collaborations. The professionals pass on their years of experience to start-ups in order to promote innovation. As a result, the Software Center has become a driving force behind the digital transformation in the Stuttgart economic region.

In order to further intensify cooperation with partners from industry and commerce, the Böblingen/Sindelfingen Software Center cooperates with the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (WRS) and the Böblingen Academy for Data Processing, among others. As early as 2010, the center began its first activities together with the WRS in the area of recruiting specialists, such as events on the topic of recruiting, trade fair appearances or student days on the premises of the software center. Close contact with students at the surrounding universities is particularly important to Center Director Schmid.

The software center plays a central role as part of the district's strategy for further development as a technology location. It has been jointly acquiring funding in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) since 2019. This initiative gave rise to the AI start-up and innovation center AI xpress in October 2021. One year later, the space at AI xpress was doubled. This includes, for example, productive areas that start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can use for test environments, prototype development or the production of small batches. With over 100 events and more than 5,000 visitors, the AI Start-up and Innovation Center continues to write its success story.

"We have developed in a way that the founding fathers could only have dreamed of," says Center Director Schmid, delighted with the success of the facility. "The political goal of making a positive contribution to structural change in the Stuttgart region has been more than achieved." But Schmid is not resting on his laurels. The Böblingen/Sindelfingen software center continues to grow. An expansion of 4,000 square meters is planned. After all, the Software Center not only wants to secure its position as one of the largest industry-related technology centers in Europe, but also expand it.