Politico: Europe prioritises US partnership in cloud services, AI, microchips

The EU will prioritise strengthening cooperation with the US in the digital sphere, acknowledging the superiority of US technologies in critical areas such as cloud services, artificial intelligence (AI), and microchips. 

Thus, the EU is preparing to formally reject growing calls within the bloc to sever ties with US Big Tech, signaling instead a renewed focus on international collaboration — particularly with the United States — in its forthcoming International Digital Strategy, Caliber.Az reports via Politico. 

The strategy, due for release soon, comes as momentum has built across Europe to reduce reliance on US technology in critical sectors such as artificial intelligence, cloud services, and semiconductors. However, a draft of the document acknowledges a stark reality: Europe is not currently capable of disentangling itself from dominant American technology providers. “Decoupling is unrealistic and cooperation will remain significant across the technological value chain,” the draft states. 

In recent years, the concept of “tech sovereignty” has gained political traction across the EU. The appointment of Finland’s Henna Virkkunen as the bloc’s first commissioner for tech sovereignty last December was widely seen as a turning point. Meanwhile, European lawmakers have begun developing frameworks aimed at fostering a homegrown technology ecosystem.

One of the most high-profile movements in this effort, known as "Eurostack," has rallied influential voices such as economist Cristina Caffarra and Axel Voss’s advisor Kai Zenner, pushing for a more independent European tech infrastructure. Still, the challenges are substantial. US companies control over two-thirds of Europe’s cloud market. The US leads in AI development. Europe’s share of the global semiconductor market has dropped to around 10 per cent. The new strategy acknowledges both the US “superior ability to innovate” and “Europe’s failure to capitalise on the digital revolution.” 

The EU has attempted to bridge the gap by investing in AI-optimised supercomputers and other infrastructure, but skepticism remains. Europe should “sober up” in its quest for tech sovereignty and accept that “certain trains have left the station,” said Bulgarian MEP Eva Maydell.

“We need to have a very clear outline plan which, first and foremost, assesses where our strengths are, where we have certain dependencies, and where we need to cooperate,” Maydell added.

The Commission’s upcoming strategy aims to map out such a plan, identifying opportunities for transnational cooperation in areas like quantum computing, microchips, AI, and secure connectivity.

By Naila Huseynova