Dutch experts push for bold national plan to dominate in global A.I. race

THE HAGUE--Dutch experts are urging a sweeping national strategy to ensure the Netherlands does not slip behind in the global contest over artificial intelligence. Their call centers on an “AI Delta Plan,” a project they compare in scale and intent to the historic Delta Works that reshaped the country after the 1953 disaster.

The full proposal outlines steps such as creating a State Secretary for AI, setting up major research institutes devoted to artificial intelligence, developing a dedicated testing city for autonomous cars and delivery drones, expanding AI-focused education, adding more data centers with thousands of GPUs, and relaxing rules for young tech companies. These measures would require new laws, considerable public funding, and new national institutions.

Entrepreneurs, academics, media figures, and education experts contributed to the plan, according to NRC. It was prepared at the request of caretaker Minister of Economic Affairs Vincent Karremans of the VVD, who said the document contains clear and practical recommendations for government action.

The authors argue that the Netherlands faces a pivotal moment. Without firm decisions, they warn, the country risks long-term reliance on Chinese and American systems. They note that artificial intelligence will shape productivity, innovation, and competitiveness across every industry, placing the Netherlands at a crossroads between remaining a leader or becoming a passive consumer.

They also emphasize that the Netherlands already possesses many strengths: ASML’s global presence, strong universities, and advanced sectors in technology, agriculture, logistics, and energy. What remains absent, they say, is a unified national push toward a common objective.

Their recommendations include naming a State Secretary for AI, an idea Karremans favors because it establishes clear accountability. They cite the coming rollout of a self-driving bus in Groningen as an example of momentum, but say the country should aim higher, proposing a city where full-scale autonomous vehicle and drone testing can take place. Such a zone would require changes to laws that currently restrict experiments on public roads. While cities in the United States and China already have driverless taxi services, Europe has moved more slowly due to safety concerns and regulatory barriers.

The proposal highlights the need for strong AI infrastructure. The Snellius supercomputer in Amsterdam contains 640 GPUs, and a 200 million euro AI facility in Groningen with about 2,500 GPUs is in development. The contributors call for European cooperation on shared infrastructure and point to electricity grid congestion and nitrogen rules as issues that must be solved before more facilities can be built.

They also focus on building public trust and capacity through education and by giving civil servants access to advanced AI tools. To spur investment, they suggest lowering financial risk for pension funds and venture capital firms that want to support AI ventures.

For startups, they propose easing dismissal rules for high-income employees to make risk-taking easier and to attract talent, and they recommend creating a special economic zone with temporary regulatory flexibility.

Michiel Bakker, an AI lecturer at MIT and one of the plan’s initiators together with Cradle founder Jelle Prins, says that failure to act would weaken the country’s competitive position, leaving Dutch companies dependent on American models that could be restricted at any time.

Central ideas in the plan include an AI Impact Institute to combine research on the societal, economic, and security impact of the technology. Another concept, called NADI, envisions a Dutch center for tackling “impossible breakthroughs,” modeled on DARPA in the United States. Under this approach, government teams would receive budgets to deliver major results within five years, such as drastically speeding up home construction to address housing shortages, even if the projects appear impossible today.

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