Bengaluru: Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof on Friday described Bengaluru as a city with a “big traffic problem” but lauded its innovative use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven tools to manage congestion.
Schoof arrived in the city on Thursday night after attending the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where he also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His visit to Bengaluru focused on technology, innovation and collaborative opportunities between India and the Netherlands.
Tour of innovation and research hubs
Bengaluru featured prominently in Schoof’s itinerary. On Friday, he toured the Innovation Campus–Software Excellence Centre of Dutch multinational Philips, visited the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and inspected the Traffic and Transit Management Centre (TTMC), which uses advanced analytics and AI tools to regulate traffic in the city.
Later, addressing reporters, the Dutch Prime Minister expressed admiration for the city’s greenery, AI talent pool, air quality and technology-driven traffic systems.
“Almost impossible job” of managing traffic
Schoof said he was particularly fascinated by the operations at the TTMC. He described traffic management in a metropolis like Bengaluru as an “almost impossible job” but praised officials for leveraging data and predictive tools effectively.
“The way they combine all kinds of data, they cannot only see what’s actually happening, but can also predict how the traffic will probably develop. They can even factor in weather conditions. They can quickly react when something happens, such as an accident, and send traffic police to the right spot to organise the flow,” he observed.
He was informed during the visit that the use of AI-powered systems had reduced traffic congestion by nearly half in certain corridors, a development he termed impressive for a city of Bengaluru’s scale.
Greenery and air quality draw praise
The Prime Minister also spoke about his personal experience in the city. Calling Bengaluru’s greenery “really amazing”, Schoof said he went for a morning run and found the air quality “reasonably good”, especially when compared with New Delhi.
“We compared Bengaluru with The Hague, and it was roughly the same. That’s what I really liked — I could smell the air,” he said, highlighting the contrast with pollution levels in some other global cities.
Strengthening AI and semiconductor ties
Describing India as a major player in AI, Schoof underlined the importance of closer cooperation between India and Europe in emerging technologies. He said the AI Impact Summit was “very useful” in placing India prominently on the global AI map at a time when the United States and China are aggressively investing in the sector.
He noted that Dutch semiconductor companies such as ASML and NXP Semiconductors could deepen collaboration with India’s technology talent pool. While NXP already has a presence in Bengaluru, ASML is expected to establish a centre of excellence in the city.
Schoof emphasised that it was valuable not only to discuss policy and macro trends but also to see how AI solutions work “on the ground”. The Netherlands, he said, aims to remain strong and innovative in AI as a highly digitised nation.
“We have great institutes and great companies, and you have talent. There is a lot that can be learned. Together we are probably stronger,” he said.
Broader strategic cooperation
The Dutch leader also expressed hope that India and the Netherlands would move towards a broader strategic agreement covering areas such as semiconductors, water management and agriculture.
He stressed that collaboration should be mutually beneficial. “We are not going to tell India that we have great systems. We should work together in a business way and see how companies from both sides can deliver what each country needs,” he said.
On global issues, including remarks by former US President Donald Trump on Greenland, Schoof referred to NATO’s ‘Arctic Century’ initiative as a mechanism to address security concerns in the region.
He added that the Netherlands welcomes migrant workers, including from India, particularly in high-tech industries, but does not favour uncontrolled migration.
The visit underscored Bengaluru’s growing stature as a global technology hub and reinforced the potential for deeper India–Netherlands collaboration in AI, semiconductors and innovation-driven growth.