PLAIN: a data and AI platform for the German Federal Administration
Updated 18.05.2026
Public administration works with large volumes of data and has begun using artificial intelligence (AI). For secure data processing and the secure use of AI, the Federal Government needs highly secure tools and sovereign technologies.
This is where the PLAIN data and AI platform comes in. Bundesdruckerei develops and operates the platform on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office’s Foreign IT unit. PLAIN provides a powerful, sovereign infrastructure for data analytics and AI applications, fully aligned with Germany’s technological and digital sovereignty.
The new data analytics and AI standard for the Federal Government
PLAIN (Platform Analysis and Information System) enables public administration to use data for policymaking. In line with the Federal Government’s data strategy and digital strategy, PLAIN is the standard platform for sovereign and protected handling of data and AI tasks within the Federal Government. The PLAIN programme also directly contributes to the D-Stack’s call for sovereign solutions and to the objective of establishing a Federal Government DevOps platform as part of the modernisation agenda. Based on cloud-native technologies, PLAIN enables users to develop AI and data applications in a secure, sovereign environment, without any restrictions in terms of subject matter. Through this platform, all federal ministries and their subordinate federal authorities are provided with a solution that helps them strengthen their policy analysis capabilities and implement many of their data-driven, complex tasks and projects using state-of-the-art technologies. However, using PLAIN requires certain capabilities, such as an understanding of DevOps. For many authorities, it also provides an opportunity to engage more closely with DevSecOps topics in order to develop or provide secure software on a sustainable basis.
Toolset for a wide range of use cases
Federal ministries and subordinate authorities can use PLAIN’s toolset flexibly for their own innovations in the use of data and AI. This is because the underlying technical structure is domain-agnostic: both the data and the specific applications can be tailored to the respective needs of the federal ministries and authorities using the platform.
The data processed in PLAIN comes from various public sources and reports and can be supplemented with data from the users’ own sources. This opens up a wide range of possible applications and subject areas for analysis, including data-driven analysis, geospatial information, modelling, text mining and the use of large language models (LLMs). These and other applications can be used for domestic and foreign policy topics, for example. The application scenarios are correspondingly diverse: the platform can help monitor pandemics and political crises using data and identify possible future developments, monitor and optimise the use of funding programmes in Germany and abroad, plan land management in the context of climate change, or predict the criticality of supply chains.
View of PLAIN’s user interface.
With PLAIN, ministries can either develop their own applications and run them on the platform or use the platform with a set of standard tools. In both cases, there is no need to develop the technical infrastructure from scratch. PLAIN is designed as a cross-departmental shared architecture and infrastructure. This significantly reduces the workload for individual departments in providing and using analytics applications, while also increasing knowledge sharing and capacity for innovation.
The platform focuses on enabling users to work efficiently and independently. The entire end-to-end data science process chain can be implemented with a full software development life cycle.
Data and Facts at a Glance
Time period:
- Under development since autumn 2022
- In production since June 2023 (PLAIN 1.0)
- Major release: PLAIN available in its second expansion stage since Q1 2025
Client:
- Foreign IT unit of the Federal Foreign Office
Scope:
- S3 data lake
- HTAP data warehouse
- ETL/ELT automation
- Self-service business intelligence (BI)
- Advanced data analytics
- Integrated modern development environments
- Large Language Model services
- Best practice community
Features
Secure:
System design in line with the Classified Information Regulations of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the BSI IT-Grundschutz methodology. Secure access via the Federal Administration Network.
High performance:
Modern technology stack based on open-source and best-of-breed technologies on a standardised infrastructure with GPU power and accessibility in accordance with BITV 2.0.
Sovereign and autonomous:
A “make instead of buy” approach based on open standards and interoperable interfaces, operated in Bundesdruckerei’s data centre – without external dependencies, hardware investment or additional IT effort.
Cross-departmental:
Implemented according to the “one for all” principle with a collaborative ecosystem and best practice community for user-oriented further development.
Digital sovereignty through federally owned technology
When insights derived from data are used for political decision-making, it must be ensured that federal authorities retain control over the tools, technologies and infrastructures used at all times. The state remains digitally sovereign when it builds up its own resources. PLAIN contributes to the development of a Federal Government administrative data space and to safeguarding digital and technological sovereignty.
PLAIN: secure analysis of large volumes of data, prepared in a user-friendly way
Generating insights from data requires the right applications. For this purpose, the project partners provide a powerful development environment with state-of-the-art data science and AI tools. Users can build needs-based, AI-supported data analytics solutions and receive support from the Bundesdruckerei GmbH team. Examples include predictive models, trend analyses and infographics that can be accessed conveniently in customised dashboards.
PLAIN was designed as a complete, automated infrastructure solution consisting of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS).
On the Way to a Collaborative Data Ecosystem
PLAIN provides user authorities with their own secure environment and the opportunity to collaborate with other departments. The sovereignty of departments and projects remains fully protected, particularly with regard to the data collected and analysed. The accessible platform is available to various end-user groups, including:
- senior management for decision-making;
- specialist departments wishing to consume and analyse data;
- data analysts, data scientists and data engineers exploring data and providing AI and analytics solutions;
- researchers who can create AI models and traceable analyses via the analytics environment.
In keeping with the “one for all” principle, all departments are free to make their applications available to other departments – and vice versa. This creates a vibrant, collaborative ecosystem that is further promoted through shared exchange formats. The PLAIN ecosystem also includes a pool of pre-qualified service providers that the user departments can call on as needed. The interfaces between the partners are organised by the PLAIN programme office at the Federal Foreign Office.
Bundesdruckerei services in the PLAIN ecosystem
As the developer and operator of PLAIN, Bundesdruckerei is part of the ecosystem and supports users in the following areas:
- identifying, prototyping and developing data and AI applications on PLAIN;
- analysing and advising on automated data source integration and rapid data pipeline creation;
- supporting users with all platform-related questions through needs-based workshops conducted jointly with tenants.
Questions and answers about the project
The Federal Foreign Office and Bundesdruckerei GmbH are developing PLAIN in close collaboration using agile methods. In the ongoing project, the Federal Foreign Office’s Foreign IT unit acts as the client and is responsible for overall project management. As the contractor, Bundesdruckerei GmbH is responsible for project management, development and operation of the platform.
Through the dedicated PLAIN Hub, requirements from specific tenant projects are analysed and support is provided for the development of individual apps. Bundesdruckerei GmbH also advises on the integration of new technologies and carries out onboarding for end users.
There are no limits: PLAIN is a domain-agnostic platform. A large number of data sources are currently available, covering areas such as peace, conflict, health, climate and government. Each department connected to PLAIN can also integrate its own data sources. The application scenarios are correspondingly diverse: the platform can help monitor pandemics and political crises using data and identify possible future developments, monitor and optimise the use of funding programmes in Germany and abroad, plan land management in the context of climate change, or predict the criticality of supply chains.
The Bundesdruckerei team implemented PLAIN on behalf of and in close collaboration with the Federal Foreign Office, using agile development based on Scrum. The requirements of users are at the heart of this process. The interdisciplinary teams combined existing capabilities and technologies with the strengths of other teams to enable efficient collaboration. Together, the team developed an innovative platform based on open-source approaches and pursuing a Best-of-Breed strategy among the federal departments.
Each tenant works on its own dedicated and isolated tenant cluster, where its data and analytics applications can be set up and operated. Data and applications can be shared from this tenant cluster. The platform’s shared services also enable cross-departmental collaboration.
For the effective development and operation of dedicated data products, it is important that developers can work as freely as possible. Three roles are central to this: the developers themselves, tenant administrators and the platform operator.
Are you interested in working as a developer on socially relevant and innovative projects such as PLAIN? We are always on the lookout for IT talent to enrich our team and the project. All our current IT job vacancies can be found in our job portal.
+49 (0) 30 2598-2818
bdr-plain-hub@bdr.de
