The Akira hacker group is suspected of carrying out the cyber attack in Sweden – Copyright AFP Chris DELMAS

Europe is investing €200 billion in Artificial Intelligence, with over 74% of businesses already initiating related projects, signalling a continent-wide digital transformation. But where exactly are these AI hot-spots? The likely places are apparent from a new study by the firm Eskimoz. This is based on an analysis of four key technological factors.

The research looked at how much money each country is investing in AI and how prepared they are to implement these new technologies, including digital infrastructure, economic and legal legislation, and tech innovations.

The study also examined AI use trends, both by businesses and by the population, considering the share of companies using at least one AI tool in daily operations and the online visits to AI tools per person. These factors were combined into an AI readiness score, ranking countries by their progress towards its implementation.

The outcome is that Sweden is the most AI-ready country in Europe, earning a perfect score of 100. The country invests over €3.2B in AI technologies and has a readiness index of 75% (0.75), which reflects its digital infrastructure, workforce skills, innovation capacity, and government policies. Swedish businesses are the second most reliant on AI, with 25% reporting that at least one AI tool is a part of their daily operations.

Germany comes in second, with a score of 82. Its readiness index matches Sweden’s index at 0.75, but Germany invests more in AI, nearly €4B, the highest in the ranking, and €500M more than any other country. Around 20% of German companies report using at least one AI tool in their daily operations.

The Netherlands ranks third, with a score of 79. It scores 0.77 on the readiness index, the second highest on the list. AI tools are widely used by both individuals and businesses, with 23% of companies using AI tools, and each person uses AI 50 times a year on average, the highest in the ranking. The country also invests approximately €1B in AI.

France takes fourth place, standing out for the second-highest investment in artificial intelligence technologies. The country has poured €3.4B worth of investments into AI tech, achieving a readiness index of 0.70. This level of preparedness, combined with investment, gives France a composite score of 69.

Denmark rounds out the top five most AI-ready countries in Europe, with a final score of 64. Danish businesses are the most dependent on AI, with over 27% reporting using AI regularly. The country also has the highest AI readiness, scoring 0.78 on the index, three percent higher than Sweden, which ranks first overall.

Finland secures sixth place with a score of 61, supported by one of the highest AI readiness indexes in this group of 0.76, reflecting its strong digital infrastructure and economic integration of AI. Around 24% of Finnish businesses use AI, and the country invests over €1.3B in AI technologies, keeping it among Europe’s leaders.

Belgium takes seventh place among Europe’s most AI-ready countries, earning a final score of 57, and stands out with 24.7% of companies relying on AI. Its AI readiness index of 0.67 demonstrates Belgium’s AI policies and innovation, while investment reaches nearly €396M.

Norway comes in eighth, with a score of 56. Its AI readiness index of 0.71 and an investment of just over €199M place it firmly ahead in Europe. Backed also by a 20.8% business adoption of AI, ten percent higher than in France.

Austria lands in ninth place, scoring 55. A readiness index of 0.72, slightly higher than Norway’s, combined with 20.3% of businesses using AI, highlights strong artificial intelligence adoption. An AI investment of €239M also outperforms Norway by over €40M.

Ireland rounds out the top ten, finishing off with a final score of 49. Its AI readiness index of 0.69 and 14.9% business usage show that Irish companies are well-positioned in AI, supported by €223M in investment.

The UK, surprisingly, does not feature on the rankings at all. Most other surveys place the UK at the top or close to the top for European AI advanced nations. This may signal a concern with the survey’s accuracy.