EU plots long game against US digital supremacy
The EU is developing a long-term strategy to challenge US dominance in digital technology, focusing on boosting its own cloud computing, data processing, and semiconductor capabilities. European leaders aim to reduce reliance on American tech giants through regulatory frameworks and investment in homegrown digital infrastructure.
Background
- The EU is developing a long-term strategy to reduce its reliance on US-owned digital infrastructure, including cloud services, AI platforms, and data management — a push for "digital sovereignty."
- Key targets include US tech giants (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud) that dominate Europe's cloud market, as well as American AI companies (OpenAI, Google, Meta).
- This builds on earlier EU efforts: the GDPR (data privacy regulation), the Digital Markets Act (targeting Big Tech gatekeepers), and the EU's AI Act (world's first comprehensive AI law).
- The "long game" approach signals Brussels will use regulation, public investment, and procurement rules over years, rather than sudden bans or breakups, to build European alternatives.
- The context is growing transatlantic tension over tech policy and Europe's concern that its economy is becoming strategically dependent on US platforms.