Europeans are increasingly turning away from American products due to falling trust in U.S. technology companies and government, benefiting open-source firms the most. At the 2025 OpenInfra Summit Europe in Paris, digital sovereignty became the main topic, eclipsing discussions on artificial intelligence. Thierry Carrez, managing director of OpenInfra Foundation, highlighted the need for nations to better control their technology, data and AI without relying on foreign firms. He pointed to a shift in Europe’s outlook on digital sovereignty influenced by changing international relations, leading to greater preference for open-source software. Carrez expressed that Europe desires resilience, not isolation, arguing that open-source tools foster sovereignty while encouraging collaboration. OVHcloud’s Octave Klaba echoed this sentiment, noting his experiences in communist Poland shaped his focus on sovereignty and influenced OVH’s mission. In the past year, various EU regions, including Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and certain agencies in Austria and Denmark, have moved from Microsoft services to open-source options.
The European Commission appointed Henna Virkkunen as executive vice president for technology sovereignty, addressing security risks tied to foreign technology reliance. France’s Ministry of Economics and Finance launched NUBO, a cloud initiative for sensitive data, aiming for a more autonomous cloud framework. European companies are stepping up to provide technology solutions that enhance digital sovereignty, with contributors like Deutsche Telekom and OVH using OpenStack in their cloud offerings. Rising costs for Microsoft 365, especially after Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, have accelerated the shift to open-source office tools. This movement towards sovereignty is pivotal, as Carrez noted it remains a key focus in the EU, with stakeholders agreeing that adopting open-source is vital for building resilience. There is a growing consensus that Europe’s emphasis on sovereign cloud solutions and AI is intensifying as entities aim to reclaim their data from U.S. providers, with the open-source community considered vital for strengthening resilience across the continent.
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