Volkswagen transforms Dresden’s Glaserne Manufaktur into an AI and robotics innovation campus

Volkswagen has decided on the future of Dresden’s Glaserne Manufaktur: the site will shift from vehicle assembly to an innovation campus. The project brings together the VW Group, the State of Saxony, and TU Dresden, with a focus on key technologies including artificial intelligence, robotics, microelectronics, and chip design.

Under the plan, TU Dresden will occupy nearly half of the facility, while combined investment from VW and the university over the next seven years will exceed €50 million. The company notes that ending car production at the site after more than 20 years was a difficult call but economically unavoidable; the new direction is presented as a more viable path for the location. For a plant with this legacy, the shift reads less like retreat and more like a careful recalibration toward where the industry is moving.

Series production of the VW ID.3 in Dresden is set to wrap up in mid-December. Around 230 employees will, for now, keep their positions on site. For roles that do not carry over to the new setup, the company promises options—from transfers to other positions and locations to mutually agreed separations.

The factory’s conversion is slated to begin in January 2026. Even after the end of production, the facility is expected to continue operating as a customer vehicle handover point.