The European AI Forum proudly announces the winners of the European AI Awards 2025, recognising outstanding achievements that are shaping the future of artificial intelligence across business, science, policy, investment, and ecosystem building. The awards honour organisations and leaders whose work demonstrates how AI can drive economic growth, industrial competitiveness, and societal benefit at scale.
AI Business
Sort a Brick
Sort a Brick is recognised for applying AI-driven robotics and computer vision to one of the construction industry’s most pressing challenges: waste sorting and recycling. By automating the identification and separation of reusable building materials, the company significantly improves recycling rates while reducing costs and emissions—showcasing applied AI with measurable environmental and economic impact.
Cast AI
Cast AI is awarded for its leadership in Application Performance Automation, enabling enterprises to efficiently run AI workloads across Kubernetes and cloud environments. Its dynamic optimisation of infrastructure reduces cloud spend, improves performance, and simplifies operations for AI-intensive applications. The company’s oversubscribed $108 million Series C round highlights strong market validation and global relevance.
Black Forest Labs
Black Forest Labs is recognised for outstanding B2B success in deploying highly specialised AI solutions within high-performance computing and autonomous systems. By translating advanced AI research into robust, mission-critical products, the company delivers tangible gains in efficiency, autonomy, and operational resilience across demanding industrial environments.
AI Ecosystem Enabler
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
ECMWF is awarded for its pivotal role in enabling the European AI ecosystem for weather and climate prediction. Through initiatives such as the AI Weather Quest, the Anemoi open-source framework, and global capacity-building programmes, ECMWF accelerates collaboration, open science, and trustworthy AI adoption at continental and global scale.
EuroHPC Joint Undertaking
The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking is recognised for providing Europe with state-of-the-art supercomputing infrastructure that underpins advanced AI research and large-scale model development. By ensuring broad access to high-performance computing resources, EuroHPC strengthens Europe’s technological sovereignty and global competitiveness.
ELLIS (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems)
ELLIS is awarded for unifying and strengthening European excellence in AI research. Through its network of research units, programmes, and PhD initiatives, ELLIS promotes cross-border collaboration, talent retention, and the long-term human capital required for European AI leadership.
AI Investors
Eurazeo
Eurazeo is recognised for its strategic investments in high-growth European AI companies. By backing scale-ups that apply AI to transform traditional industries, Eurazeo provides long-term capital essential for building global market leaders.
HV Capital
HV Capital is awarded for its consistent role in leading pivotal funding rounds for German and European AI startups. Its portfolio reflects strong judgement in identifying AI companies with proven business models and cross-industry impact.
Speedinvest
Speedinvest is recognised for high-impact, early-stage investments in AI startups across Europe. Often acting as the first institutional investor, Speedinvest combines capital with hands-on platform support to help innovative AI ideas scale.
AI Policy Shapers
Axel Voss
Axel Voss is awarded for his significant influence on Europe’s legal framework for data-driven innovation. His work on data governance, intellectual property, and digital regulation has shaped the conditions for responsible AI development and deployment.
Dragoş Tudorache
Dragoş Tudorache is recognised for his instrumental role as co-rapporteur of the EU AI Act, helping balance innovation with strong protections for fundamental rights in a future-proof regulatory framework.
Lucilla Sioli
Lucilla Sioli is awarded for her leadership in shaping and operationalising the European Commission’s AI strategy. As Director for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Industry at DG CONNECT, she translates political ambition into concrete programmes, funding mechanisms, and infrastructure.
Spinoff & Applied AI Science
Axelera.ai
Axelera.ai is recognised for advancing applied AI through high-performance, energy-efficient edge AI processors, enabling real-time inference at low power consumption across multiple industries.
nomagic.ai
nomagic.ai is awarded for transforming e-commerce logistics with AI-powered robotic picking and packing systems, addressing labour shortages and significantly increasing warehouse throughput.
Dronamics
Dronamics is recognised for pioneering long-range cargo drones powered by advanced autonomous systems, redefining fast, efficient, and sustainable cargo transport.
We want to congratulate all winners of the inaugural European AI Awards and to all applications!
Press release here:
Also embedded pdf: