Denmark sees AI boom driven by entrepreneurs

A new mapping of the Danish AI sector finds a boom in the number of companies working with AI, driven mainly by small firms and entrepreneurs. It identifies 1,249 Danish AI companies, defined as firms where AI is a central part of how they create value. It is described as the first comprehensive analysis of its kind. Aalborg University Business School, AI Denmark and the analysis platform RankmyAI carried it out, and it appears as the AI Report Denmark 2026.

Half of the companies were founded in 2020 or later, and 57.5 percent have ten employees or fewer. The companies are spread across several sectors. Advisory services and development of AI tools dominate, but there are also many firms in health, industry and data analysis. According to the researchers, this shows Denmark is not only adopting AI but also building commercial solutions that can generate exports, jobs and innovation.

Agnieszka Nowinska, associate professor at Aalborg University Business School, says public debate often focuses on jobs AI could replace, while the findings show AI is also a new growth engine in Danish business. Many companies are developing products that can make other firms more productive and competitive. Professor Jacob Rubæk Holm says the data will now be used to learn how these companies perform, what jobs they create and who the AI entrepreneur is. He compares it to being the first to reach the North Pole.

The researchers also say the many small companies need good conditions to grow. In their view, policy should remove barriers rather than pick individual winners, by securing access to skills, capital and markets so more small firms can scale. They stress that private and public organisations should get better at demanding innovative AI solutions, so Danish companies can develop and test new products in their home market.