AI in Amsterdam: 6 startups and AI studios to watch
Amsterdam has established itself as a thriving hub for artificial intelligence innovation, attracting talented developers, visionary entrepreneurs, and significant investment. The Dutch capital is now home to a diverse ecosystem of AI companies tackling challenges across multiple industries – from healthcare to sustainability, technology infrastructure to creative media.
Let’s explore six of Amsterdam’s most innovative AI companies that are making waves in the global tech landscape.
HyperAI: Democratizing AI computing
HyperAI is tackling one of the most pressing challenges in artificial intelligence: accessible computing infrastructure. Based in Amsterdam, this company is building the future of AI-driven cloud computing with a particular focus on European markets.
Their flagship product, HyperCLOUD, aims to make high-performance AI computing more accessible, leveraging powerful Nvidia A100 and H100 GPUs. The company offers a comprehensive ecosystem including HyperSDK for AI development (with pre-installed frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch), HyperSUPPORT for customer management, and HyperPOD for high-density AI hardware.
In a landscape where AI computing resources are increasingly concentrated, HyperAI stands out for its commitment to European data sovereignty and making powerful AI infrastructure available to more organizations.
Weaviate: The AI-Native vector database
Founded in 2019, Weaviate has quickly risen to prominence with its open-source vector database built specifically for AI applications. With over 1.6 million downloads and substantial venture capital backing, this Amsterdam-based company is becoming essential infrastructure for developers building AI solutions.
Weaviate specializes in lightning-fast vector similarity search, enabling applications like hybrid search (merging vector and keyword techniques), retrieval-augmented generation for more trustworthy AI, and agentic AI workflows for enterprise intelligence.
The company’s technology allows developers to build applications that can search through data based on meaning rather than just keywords – a fundamental capability for modern AI systems that need to understand semantic relationships.
WeAreBrain: Full-service AI strategists
Since our founding in 2014, we at WeAreBrain have been working at the intersection of strategy and technology from our Amsterdam headquarters. Our team specializes in product design, software development, data analytics, and machine learning across multiple sectors including FMCG, Retail, Healthcare, FinTech, and Media Entertainment.
Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to implement meaningful AI solutions like procurement automation for HEINEKEN and SmartSpy, an AI-driven digital sales assistant. What drives our approach is bringing together creative design thinking with technical expertise – helping bridge the gap between ambitious business goals and practical implementation. We’ve found that this holistic perspective is particularly valuable when helping organizations scale their AI operations effectively.
As we continue to grow alongside Amsterdam’s vibrant tech ecosystem, we’re excited to see how AI transforms not just our clients’ businesses, but the broader landscape of innovation in the Netherlands.
Aidence: AI for medical imaging
Aidence, now part of DeepHealth, represents the cutting edge of AI applications in healthcare. Focusing on radiology solutions for the lung cancer pathway, this Amsterdam-based company is using artificial intelligence to potentially save lives through earlier and more accurate detection.
One of their main products, Veye Lung Nodules, is CE certified for automated lung nodule detection and quantification on chest CTs. The system integrates seamlessly into existing radiology workflows, complemented by Veye Reporting for standardized quality reporting.
Aidence exemplifies how AI can address critical healthcare challenges, supporting radiologists with powerful tools that enhance diagnostic capabilities while maintaining human expertise at the center of patient care.
AmberScript: Making speech accessible
Founded in 2017, AmberScript uses artificial intelligence to convert speech to text and generate subtitles, making content more accessible particularly for hearing-impaired audiences. The Amsterdam-based company offers both fully automated transcription and human-reviewed options, combining cutting-edge generative AI with professional language specialists to ensure accuracy. Their services include fast delivery (within 24 hours for rush orders), easy workflow integrations, and GDPR compliance.
AmberScript’s technology not only supports media accessibility but also helps businesses efficiently transform spoken content into searchable, indexable text – unlocking value from audio and video assets that would otherwise remain inaccessible.
Context Labs: AI for environmental impact
Context Labs brings together AI and blockchain technology to address some of our most pressing environmental challenges. With offices in Amsterdam and Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company specializes in trusted data management for ESG reporting and decarbonization efforts.
Their suite of solutions includes Decarbonization-as-a-Service (DaaS) for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, CLEAR Path for generating environmental attributes, and an environmental attribute registry secured by blockchain technology.
Context Labs’ approach is particularly timely as businesses face increasing pressure to verify their environmental claims and take meaningful action on sustainability. By applying AI to contextualize environmental data and blockchain to ensure its integrity, they’re creating the infrastructure for more transparent and accountable sustainability efforts.
The future of Amsterdam’s AI ecosystem
Amsterdam has quietly but confidently positioned itself as one of Europe’s most vibrant AI hubs, with its unique combination of academic strength, international talent pool, and supportive government policies creating fertile ground for innovation. The city’s emphasis on responsible AI development aligns perfectly with growing global demands for ethical, transparent systems – potentially becoming Amsterdam’s distinctive signature in the global market.
As AI continues its transformation from experimental technology to mainstream business tools, how will Amsterdam’s balance of technical excellence, human-centred design, and responsible innovation shape the next chapter of artificial intelligence?
Mario Grunitz
Working Machines
An executive’s guide to AI and Intelligent Automation. Working Machines takes a look at how the renewed vigour for the development of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Automation technology has begun to change how businesses operate.
