All articles tagged with #tech sovereignty
The European Commission plans a pan-EU decision to allocate the 2 GHz satellite spectrum to European operators, paving the way for direct-to-device satellite connections and effectively limiting SpaceX’s Starlink (and Amazon’s Kuiper) in Europe as part of a push for tech sovereignty and security, with potential friction from the United States as Brussels weighs defence vs. commercial needs and ties to the IRIS² program.
France will move some government systems from Windows to Linux, starting with the Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs (DINUM), as part of a broader push for digital sovereignty and reduced reliance on American tech. The plan follows bans on American videoconferencing tools and signals a move toward open-source software amid security and implementation challenges, with policymakers seeking greater control over data, infrastructure, and rollout timelines.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen warned that Europe’s reliance on foreign technology can be weaponized and urged greater tech sovereignty, advocating the use of public procurement to grow EU tech firms and a legislative package on cloud, AI, and chips. She stressed semiconductors as a pre-condition for other technologies, backed the Buy European approach, and pointed to the upcoming Industrial Accelerator Act while noting the U.S. remains an important partner amidst vulnerabilities from Covid and Russia’s invasion.
A Wall Street Journal report suggests the EU is drafting legislation to boost tech sovereignty, potentially wielding tools like the Anti-Coercion Instrument to curb U.S. tech dependencies, with the Open Digital Ecosystem Strategy seeking public feedback and EU players like ASML seen as strategic leverage in AI, cloud, and hardware sovereignty.
Despite U.S. sanctions, Chinese tech giants Huawei and Xiaomi are making significant advances in semiconductor technology, with Huawei launching a domestically produced high-performance chip and Xiaomi expanding its chip development, signaling China's move towards technological independence and challenging Western dominance in the industry.
Huawei has shipped over 103 million devices running its HarmonyOS, with nearly half in 2024, as the company shifts away from Android and Windows due to US sanctions, marking a significant move towards technological independence and self-sufficiency.