Top Investments of the Year 2024 in Baden-Württemberg
Focus on quantum computing, logistics and sustainable construction
Mar 05, 2025
Baden-Württemberg, Europe’s innovation region No. 1 and home to a third of Germany's world market leaders, remains a top location for forward-looking investments and is consolidating its reputation as a center of innovation and industry in Germany. As one of the strongest economic regions in Europe, the German Southwest offers a unique combination of industrial expertise, cutting-edge research and a thriving ecosystem of global corporations and innovative SMEs, which once again attracted international investment in 2024.
This year, three key projects underline Baden-Württemberg's strengths in the fields of quantum computing, logistics and sustainable construction.
IBM opens first European quantum data center in Ehningen
With the opening of its first European quantum data center in Ehningen, IBM, the world's largest IT company, is sending out a strong signal for Baden-Württemberg as an investment location. IBM has already had its German headquarter in Ehningen for decades and is further expanding its commitment to the region with this investment. The state-of-the-art IBM Quantum Heron system, which will be operated in the new center, offers a 16-fold increase in performance and a 25-fold increase in computing speed compared to previous systems. The center will play a key role in the European quantum computing landscape, fostering collaboration with leading academic institutions and helping companies tackle complex challenges in the fields of energy, health and materials science. In the long term, it will strengthen Baden-Württemberg's status as a global innovation leader.
At the opening ceremony, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the importance of the center for Germany's technological future and stressed that it will play a central role in “developing new things that will keep us at the forefront.” The investment underlines the confidence in Baden-Württemberg as a center of innovation with a strong research landscape and a flourishing quantum ecosystem. “THE LÄND is the place of tinkerers and inventors. The spirit of invention that people in Baden-Württemberg have is the stuff of legend,” says Wolfgang Wendt, Chairman of the Management Board of IBM Deutschland GmbH.
Galaxus expands with a new logistics center in Neuenburg am Rhein
The Swiss e-commerce group Digitec Galaxus AG, a Migros Group company, is further expanding the presence of its German subsidiary Galaxus Deutschland GmbH. Located in Germany since 2018, the company is now strengthening its position on the German market with a new logistics center in Neuenburg am Rhein. The investment will create up to 1,000 new workplaces in the region and strengthen the company's supply chain infrastructure to serve its growing customer base in Germany and Europe.
The new logistics center will comprise 90,000 square meters of warehouse space, similar in size to Galaxus' largest logistics center to date in Wohlen, Switzerland. The state-of-the-art facility will further optimize warehousing and shipping processes to enable faster and more efficient delivery. The addition of a further hall in Neuenburg is already being planned.
This development underlines Baden-Württemberg's attractiveness as a location for e-commerce and logistics companies looking for strategic locations with excellent connections to the European market and qualified specialists.
Erne Group builds new sustainable production facility in Sinsheim
Erne GmbH, a German subsidiary of the Swiss construction company ERNE AG Holzbau, was founded in 2015 to realize construction projects in Southern Germany. Due to the growing market and increasing demand for sustainable timber modular buildings, the company is now expanding its presence in Germany with a new production site in Sinsheim. This strategic investment ensures proximity to customers and projects, creates new jobs and promotes growth in the region.
With an investment of 10 million euros and the recruitment of around 20 employees, Erne GmbH is setting a strong example for sustainable construction in Baden-Württemberg. The new production facility comprises a 4,600 square meter production hall and an office building in modular timber construction with a floor area of 230 square meters, which is intended for future expansion.
In future, buildings will be prefabricated under controlled conditions in the new hall and then transported to the construction site, where they will mainly be assembled into complete construction projects as part of a general contractor service. The high degree of prefabrication ensures particularly short construction times on site.
Sustainability plays a central role in the expansion: the entire roof area of the production hall is equipped with a photovoltaic system with an output of around 530 kWp, which produces more electricity than is required for the company's own operations. In addition, energy-efficient heating systems are used in both the production hall and the office buildings.
On our newly designed website for investors Expänd into the Länd, we regularly publish success stories from companies that have set up operations here and provide detailed information on the advantages of Baden-Württemberg as a business location.
Find out more - visit https://www.expaend.com/why-baden-wuerttemberg/best-practices .
