Possess high-quality digital infrastructure technology
Expanding ICT research and innovation
ICT Industry Overview
The Netherlands is a developed digital economy in Europe and has high-quality digital infrastructure. 80% of the Dutch population has at least some digital skills, which is much higher than the EU average of 54%. Many Dutch companies are taking advantage of digitalization and 80% of small and medium-sized enterprises have at least a basic level of digital strength. The Netherlands also scored higher than the European average in advanced corporate technologies such as big data, cloud, and artificial intelligence. In addition, the Netherlands' digital government services have various advantages that individuals and businesses can use compared to other European countries.
According to the ICT report published by Netherlands Statistics Korea (CBS) in December 2023, the Dutch ICT industry is developing at an average annual rate of about 2011% between 2022 and 4.2. ICT service providers achieved 2021% higher value-added production in 7.1 compared to the previous year, with the main factors being the growth of IT and information services (+7.7%) and information and communication companies (+4.4%).
In 2021, the scale of investment by Dutch companies and governments in the ICT sector increased by 4.5% compared to the previous year. This is because investment in electronic networks, which are communication networks connected through computers and other digital devices, was greater than investment in computer hardware. Investment in the IT sector by Dutch companies and governments amounted to approximately 339 billion euros. As mentioned above, it was 18% of the total investment in the Netherlands.
Excluding re-exports, exports of ICT goods and services in 2021 amounted to 239 billion euros, down 22.1% from the previous year. Based on re-exports, the total export amount in 2021 is 482 billion euros. The ICT industry's income amounted to 681 billion euros, an increase of about 5.2% compared to the previous year.
As of 2022, there were approximately 62 people (+11% compared to the previous year) working in the ICT sector, which corresponds to 6.4% of the total employed population in the Netherlands. Of these, approximately 3 people, or more than a third, worked in the information and communications industry, while the rest worked in energy companies, financial institutions, and public institutions. Meanwhile, as of the fourth quarter of 1, the number of ICT companies in the Netherlands was approximately 23, an increase of 2022 companies compared to the previous year. The number of ICT companies accounts for approximately 4% of the total number of companies in the Netherlands, mainly IT service provider companies.
Key technologies within the ICT industry
[Source: Amsterdam Trade Center edited]
ICT industry recent issues
1) Digital Government Act, Personal Information Protection Act
The Digital Government Act is a bill adopted in March 2023 that defines the government's tasks and responsibilities for safe and reliable digital access for Dutch citizens and businesses. This means ensuring that Dutch citizens and businesses can log into their digital government safely and reliably. In addition, the Personal Data Protection Act is a law on the collection, use, and storage of personal information, and stipulates what can and cannot be done with personal information.
2) Medical Service Innovation AI Solution Contest
The 'Competition for AI solutions for healthcare innovation' held in April 2023 is also noteworthy. This competition was organized by the NL AI Coalition to improve medical services using AI technology, and the winner was PERISCOPE. PERISCOPE is a service that utilizes existing medical field data to more accurately predict whether patients will develop sequelae, other infections, or complications after surgery. This allows hospitals to more efficiently manage patients with a high risk of infection during post-surgery management. This makes it possible to provide personalized medical services that are emerging in the current medical system.
In addition, there is Attendi, which allows medical staff to quickly improve treatment procedures and focus more on patients by creating medical files through their voices when treating patients. The company aims to ensure intuitive, fast and easy-to-read reports and provide quality healthcare services. In addition, there are also TONOS, which provides smart solutions that help medical staff suggest optimal routes and efficiently schedule treatment so that patients can provide medical services at the time they need.
3) T-Pulse
T-Pulse is a system that uses AI and advanced machine vision algorithms to analyze real-time video data feeds from on-site CCTV cameras. This T-Pulse-equipped AI model is designed to recognize compliance with PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) regulations and hazardous behaviors such as working at heights, falling objects, hanging cargo, gas leaks, and liquid spills. This model is trained for a variety of situations, allowing the system to detect and warn of danger in a variety of situations in real time. This is an AI-based system developed jointly by Shell and Detect Technologies to strengthen Shell's vision and goal for sustainable development (Goal Zero Ambition). It detects more than 160 different risk situations and prevents hazardous accidents on site. .
4) BLISS: Behavior based language Interactive Speaking Systems
This project is a collaboration between linguists Helmer Strik and Iris Hendricks of Radboud University and the University of Twente to develop a Dutch-language chatbot that identifies mood and happiness factors through conversations with people. It is a project to do. By analyzing big data that includes interview data and non-verbal elements such as intonation, we provide customized programs to meet customer needs.
5) FLEXYZ provides IoT services for smart cities
Flexyz is a company that provides IoT services in everyday life using various sensors. Representative examples include △a service that reports the status of parking space usage, △a service that helps plants grow by measuring soil humidity and condition, and △air quality and humidity. Measurement sensor services, etc. Parking lot sensors that inform parking space usage rates are installed in individual parking spaces and provide information about parking spaces by examining the status of incoming and outgoing vehicles. This can be checked through its own application and existing system, and detailed information is provided in the form of a dashboard.
[Source: smartcity-iot.nl/parkeeropolossing]
The soil humidity and temperature measurement service has a function that periodically checks the soil humidity and temperature and reports the status through an application every few hours, allowing you to improve the plant growth environment, such as watering on time.
[Source: smartcity-iot.nl/bodemvochtsensor]
6) 5Groningen
5Groningen is a project to develop and operate 5G in the Groningen region and pilot it in various fields, and various companies and research institutes, including KPN, VodafoneZiggo, University of Groningen, and Dell Technologies, participate. The goal of the project is to apply 5G to various fields to understand how 5G can drive innovation. In the Groningen region, 5G will be applied to various industries such as healthcare, transportation and logistics, energy, agriculture, and smart industry.
For example, the 5G sensor network for water quality measurement uses sensors to check the water quality of both surface water and groundwater and immediately notify you if there is a problem with water quality, so that appropriate measures can be taken immediately when the cause of water pollution is discovered. In addition, malfunctions in production process machinery in chemical plants are checked using sensors wirelessly connected to 5G, which are related to preventing production process failures through sensors. This continuously measures the condition of the equipment and prevents early errors when they occur in the production process, thereby reducing losses.
Dutch ICT Industry Cluster – Data and AI (DAI)
The Data and AI Cluster is an industrial cluster located at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU Eindhoven) that studies data and artificial intelligence. There are research groups in five areas: Uncertainty in AI, Generative AI, Automated ML, Data Mining, and Databases. . Representative projects underway at DAI are as follows.
Note*: Knowledge extraction, machine learning and other AI Approaches for secure, robust, frugal, resilient and explainable solutions in defense applications
[Source: dai.win.tue.nl/researchprojects]
implication
Currently, major Dutch companies constantly develop and apply ICT technology. KPN is a Dutch company that started in the 19th century with postal and telegraph services. It now provides a wide range of services, including landline and wireless telephones, broadband and Internet services, digital TV, and ICT solutions to both consumers and corporate customers. Currently, we are focusing on research and development of new technologies such as optical fiber expansion, 5G network development, cybersecurity solutions, cloud services, Internet of Things, and smart home. Adyen is a Dutch company that provides global payment services and provides payment methods preferred by consumers such as Visa and MasterdCard. Founded in 2006, it integrates payment methods, risk management, payment process processing and related services to provide seamless and efficient payment services for online, mobile and in-store transactions. Booking.com is a travel service provider founded in the Netherlands in 1996. It provides a variety of travel-related services, including hotel and flight reservations, airport taxi reservation services, activity reservations, and rental car services. Recently, it has used artificial intelligence to provide personalized recommendations and intelligent services. It provides search functions and predictive analysis services. Like this, many companies are expanding their services by applying ICT technology to their business areas.
Horizon Europe is an EU-wide research and innovation funding program running from 2021 to 2027. Horizon Europe, with a budget of €955 billion, is the EU's main funding program for research and innovation, tackling climate change, achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and promoting competitiveness and growth in the EU. In other words, it strengthens the influence of research and innovation in the process of developing, supporting and implementing EU policies. The program is open to researchers not only in the EU but also around the world, and Korean companies can also find cooperation opportunities in the form of joint research projects, technology development projects, etc. Korea will also become an associate member of Horizon Europe from 2025, which is expected to expand opportunities for Korea-EU joint research.
According to Frits Grotenhuis, head of ICT, the mission of the ICT sector is to launch research and innovation programs to develop and build the expertise needed for the future. In this way, we can seek opportunities for cooperation, such as joint technology development, with the Netherlands, which is leading the ICT industry in Europe.
Source: Compilation of data from KOTRA Amsterdam Trade Center, including attendi.nl, tonos-care.nl, nlaic.com, longreads.cbs.nl, topsector, digitaleoverheid, smartcity-iot.nl, dai.win.tue.nl, etc.