European tech leaders advise caution on tech sovereignty drive

""There are four layers, and we can control three out of the four," he said. "On the technology side, we're going to have to make the compromise while we're trying, at the same time, to build our own stack in some places," he said."

"European countries are already positioned to ensure data, operational, and regulatory sovereignty, said Ezzat."

"He said that partnering with global providers of foundational models makes sense, while European firms can compete and "flourish" further up the stack by focusing on data and AI applications that sit on top of these models."

European countries are already positioned to ensure data, operational, and regulatory sovereignty. Technological sovereignty is more challenging and requires trade-offs. Four sovereignty layers exist, with control attainable over three of them while the technology layer demands compromise. Compromise includes relying on external foundational models even as domestic technology stacks are developed in targeted areas. Technological sovereignty encompasses energy and compute infrastructure, foundational model creation, and the application of those models in production by companies and governments. Partnering with global providers of foundational models can provide practical access to capabilities. European firms can compete and flourish further up the stack by focusing on data and AI applications built atop those models.

Read at Computerworld