This Is Different: Western Europe Takes Course on Import Substitution of American Products
European countries are discussing measures to reduce technological dependence on the United States, including supporting local companies in public procurement and cloud services. This initiative, termed "technological sovereignty," is gaining momentum against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions.
The region's dependence on American cloud services from Amazon, Google, and Microsoft is colossal — they account for over 80% of the market. In response to growing risks, these companies are adapting their offerings by creating "sovereign clouds" managed by European partners to protect customer data from potential requests by US authorities.
Countries such as France and Germany have intensified efforts to develop their own technologies and infrastructure, including investments in local data centers and support for startups in the field of artificial intelligence.