In short
AI consulting in Saxony reaches SMEs in two ways. Publicly funded bodies such as KI-Hub Sachsen-Thüringen, Zukunftszentrum Sachsen and Digitalagentur Sachsen offer free orientation and training. Private consultancies and agencies do the implementation inside the company. Pharen IT is a GmbH based in Naunhof near Leipzig that offers strategy, development, rollout and training from one team, on site in Leipzig and Saxony or remote.
Two programmes help with the cost. The Saxon development bank SAB funds SME digitalisation projects with a grant of up to 60 percent, and applications are currently only open in Leipzig, the district of Leipzig and Nordsachsen (as of 20 September 2026). The federal government subsidises business consulting for SMEs with up to 80 percent, depending on the region.
Since 17 July 2026 the Saxon development bank SAB has stopped accepting applications for its digitalisation grant in ten regions of Saxony, among them Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau. In the city of Leipzig, the district of Leipzig and Nordsachsen, applications are still open. Anyone looking for AI consulting in Saxony should know that difference before the first quote arrives.
This article sorts out which AI consulting exists in Saxony for small and medium-sized companies: which bodies help for free, which funding is available, and when an agency is worth paying for. We are a provider ourselves. Pharen IT is a GmbH based in Naunhof near Leipzig (Leipzig district court, HRB 44633). All funding details are as of 20 September 2026 and come from the pages of the programme owners.
Which AI consulting is there in Saxony for SMEs?
Saxony has two kinds of AI consulting for mid-sized companies: publicly funded contact points that inform and train at no cost, and private consultancies and agencies that put AI to work inside a business. The two complement each other. The public bodies help you understand the field and find a first idea. As a rule they do not build the process inside your company.
| Body | What it offers | Cost | Operator and funder |
|---|---|---|---|
| KI-Hub Sachsen-Thüringen | Training on AI basics, machine learning, business applications, law and ethics, plus AI trainers as contacts for first projects | free | Mittelstand-Digital centres Chemnitz and Ilmenau, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs |
| Zukunftszentrum Sachsen | Workshops, qualification and personal consulting on digital change, with offers for managers, employees and works councils | free | RKW Sachsen GmbH, funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and the EU through ESF Plus |
| Digitalagentur Sachsen | Signposting to funding programmes, networks such as EDIH Saxony and futureSAX, digitalisation checks and the AI support centres in the state | free | Free State of Saxony |
| Chambers of commerce and crafts | Digitalisation consulting for member companies, referenced by Digitalagentur Sachsen | depends on the offer | Chambers |
| Private AI consultancies and agencies | Strategy, development, rollout in live operations and training on your own process | fee, partly eligible for funding | Companies such as Pharen IT |
Digitalagentur Sachsen lists KI-Hub Sachsen-Thüringen and ATKI Dresden as AI support centres. The KI-Hub addresses small and medium-sized companies from Saxony, Thuringia and neighbouring regions that want to understand AI, explore its potential and develop first projects.
When is a free contact point enough, and when do you need an agency?
A free contact point is enough as long as the question is: what is AI, and where could it help us? You need an agency as soon as one specific process has to run with your data, your tools and your approvals.
Three signs point to the second route.
- You have a concrete process in mind, such as incoming invoices or handling enquiries, and nobody in the company has time to build it.
- Customer data, contracts or money are involved. Then the operating model, data paths and approvals must be settled before the first real case runs.
- Your team is supposed to run the process afterwards. That takes training on your own case, not on a seminar example.
A sensible path for many companies: first a free training at the KI-Hub or Zukunftszentrum, then a limited pilot project with an agency.
Which funding is available for AI consulting in Saxony?
Two programmes matter most for AI projects in Saxon SMEs: the SAB digitalisation grant and the federal funding of business consulting for SMEs.
Digitalisierung Zuschuss (ERDF 2021 to 2027) from SAB. Eligible are micro, small and medium-sized commercial companies and members of the liberal professions based in Saxony. Planning, concept work, software and hardware, and implementation including training can be funded. The rates according to SAB:
- micro companies, entry level: up to 60 percent, on direct eligible expenses capped at 10,000 euros
- micro and small companies with transformation projects: up to 50 percent, on direct eligible expenses capped at 60,000 euros
- medium-sized companies: up to 35 percent, on direct eligible expenses capped at 100,000 euros
- a bonus of 10 percentage points for companies bound by or paying in line with collective agreements
Direct eligible expenses must reach at least 5,000 euros, and a project may run for 12 months at most. Since 17 July 2026 applications have been suspended in ten regions: Dresden, Bautzen, Görlitz, Meißen, Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, Chemnitz, Erzgebirgskreis, Mittelsachsen, Vogtlandkreis and Zwickau. In the city of Leipzig, the district of Leipzig and Nordsachsen, applications remain possible.
Funding of business consulting for SMEs (federal). The grant covers up to 80 percent of eligible consulting costs depending on the region, and eligible costs are capped at 2,800 euros. A company can file at most five applications until 31 December 2026, and no more than two per year. The consultant has to prove a quality assurance instrument, for example a recognised certificate. Clarify that with the provider before you sign.
With the SAB grant, the project start date must not lie before you receive the confirmation mail for the application. So apply first and commission afterwards. Only the programme owners’ guidelines are binding, and the links are at the end of this article.
What does Pharen deliver as an AI consultancy in Saxony?
Pharen IT advises mid-sized companies in Leipzig, across Saxony and remotely in the DACH region, and implements the results itself. Four services build on each other.
- Strategy. Where should AI help, what stays with people, and which rules apply to data and decisions?
- Development. The use case is built as a testable workflow with AI agents, roles, approvals and integrations.
- Rollout in operations. The team works on real cases, in parallel to the old way. Exceptions are collected and the rules sharpened.
- Training. Process owners learn to adjust agents and workflows themselves.
The entry point is the automation sprint. In four weeks one real process is automated: selection and process map, build, pilot operation, evaluation with before and after values. Your team needs about two to four hours per week. The guide to the AI agency for SMEs describes the details.
We have documented two processes publicly: the incoming invoice process and lead qualification.
The difference to a pure consultancy: we bring our own product. Pharen Hub is an Open Fair-Code AI workspace with team chat, projects, documents, workflows and AI agents. It runs in the managed cloud or on your own infrastructure. The automated process then lives in a workspace your team can see and operate, and not in a script that only the agency understands.
Which questions should you ask an AI consultancy?
Five questions separate a solid offer from a slide deck. Ask every provider, including us.
- Does the consultancy start with one of your processes or with one of its tools?
- Where does the data sit, and which model processes it? Ask for the data processing agreement before the first test.
- Which steps stay tied to a human approval?
- How is success measured, and is there a baseline measurement?
- Can your team run the process on its own after the project?
We state one limit openly. We do not publish blanket savings, because reliable values need a defined baseline. We currently do not hold an ISO 27001 certification, and what we do technically and organisationally is on the security page.
Frequently asked questions
Which AI consulting is there in Leipzig?
Several private AI consultancies and agencies work in Leipzig, alongside the Leipzig chamber of commerce and the statewide contact points. Pharen IT is based in Naunhof in the district of Leipzig and offers on-site meetings. Details are on the AI consulting Leipzig page.
Is AI consulting in Saxony free?
The offers of KI-Hub Sachsen-Thüringen and Zukunftszentrum Sachsen are free for small and medium-sized companies because the federal government and the EU fund them. Implementation inside your company by an agency costs a fee, part of which can be covered by funding programmes.
Is AI consulting in Saxony funded?
Yes. SAB funds SME digitalisation projects with up to 60 percent, but as of 20 September 2026 only in Leipzig, the district of Leipzig and Nordsachsen. The federal government subsidises business consulting with up to 80 percent of at most 2,800 euros in consulting costs, depending on the region.
Does Pharen also work in Dresden and Chemnitz?
Yes, remotely without restriction, and we agree on-site meetings in the first call. Process mapping, pilot and training all work fully remote.
How long does a first AI project take?
Four weeks in the automation sprint: selection and process map, build, pilot operation with real cases, and evaluation.
Does our data stay in Germany?
You decide that in the project. Pharen Hub runs in the managed cloud or on your own infrastructure, and you choose which models are connected.
Whether your location is still inside the SAB application area is one line on their page. Whether AI holds up in one of your processes shows in a four-week pilot. If you have a process in mind, talk to us.
