Siemens CEO Discusses EU Regulations and U.S. Investment Changes

Siemens CEO Roland Busch stated in an interview with Bloomberg that investing in China and the United States makes more sense due to regulatory burdens in the EU. He said that treating industrial and machine data the same as personal data is illogical and hinders investments, adding that he cannot justify such decisions to shareholders.

U.S. Policies Attracting Investments U.S.

President Donald Trump stated at the 2025 World Economic Forum that the United States offers the best environment for job creation, factory building, and company growth. The U.S. is tracking global companies planning investments there, with a list including 15 EU companies.

Siemens Healthineers plans to invest $150 million to expand production, including relocating manufacturing from Mexico to California. Siemens intends to invest $285 million in U.S. manufacturing and AI data centers, creating more than 900 skilled manufacturing jobs.

Siemens Energy will invest $1 billion to scale up U.S.-based production of grid and gas turbine equipment and expand apprenticeship programs.

companies Siemens and SAP have called for revisions to AI and data rules in Europe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed support for simplifying AI rules for industry at the Hannover Messe. The EU is developing a Data Act as part of the European Data Union Strategy, aiming to merge existing directives and regulations.

Industry groups are lobbying to reduce data-sharing obligations, citing concerns over trade secrets. The European Data Union Strategy notes that manufacturers hesitate to share data due to trade secrets, privacy, and competition issues.

The EU’s AI Continent Action Plan includes developing five AI Gigafactories to support AI needs, each requiring at least 100,000 chips, mostly from the U.S. Officials reacted to the U.S. AI Diffusion Plan in early 2025 by asking the U.S. to reconsider its approach.

The European Chips Act, initiated in 2022, aims to double Europe's global semiconductor market share to 20% by 2030. Global demand for semiconductors is projected to grow by about 25%, with double-digit growth expected in Europe in 2026. Plans for Chips Act 2.0 address gaps in AI-optimized chips, with estimated needs for 30-60 billion euros in EU funding and 50-60 billion from member states, totaling 200-300 billion euros including private investment.

In early 2026, a group of countries from France to Poland requested more details on conditions for AI Gigafactories. Concerns include reliance on American chips and potential conflicts with World Trade Organization rules.