EU advances digital and chip sovereignty plan

The European Commission has unveiled a comprehensive package of measures aimed at reducing the EU’s reliance on foreign technology providers, particularly from the United States and China. Key initiatives target the semiconductor sector, cloud‑computing services and artificial‑intelligence development, including public funding for an advanced European chip factory, contracts that prioritize European cloud providers, and the promotion of open‑source AI models.

The analysis notes that achieving full technological autonomy would be extremely costly—estimated between €3 trillion and €5 trillion—and may not guarantee success given the current dominance of American chip makers and cloud operators such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google, which hold about 70 % of the European cloud market. The package also responds to political pressures, highlighted by a incident in which Microsoft, under U.S. pressure, blocked accounts for members of the International Criminal Court, prompting a shift to the European open‑source solution Open Desk. While the measures are seen as concrete steps, the analysis warns that regulatory actions alone may be insufficient to secure true digital sovereignty.