PARIS/STOCKHOLM — Europe’s push for independence in artificial intelligence is taking center stage this week as world leaders and technology executives descend on France for both the G7 summit and the VivaTech conference in Paris.
The timing is significant. Just days before these gatherings, the United States moved to tighten access to Anthropic’s most advanced AI systems for people outside the country — a move that has highlighted just how exposed Europe is to decisions made across the Atlantic.
“Tech sovereignty will be top of mind this week at VivaTech,” said Ana Paula Assis, a senior vice president at IBM. “For European organisations to get this right, it is vital to understand sovereignty is about having control where it matters — not where the technology is from.”
The underlying tension is one Europe has struggled with for years: how to preserve strategic independence while still leaning heavily on American companies that lead the world in cloud computing, chip design, and cutting-edge AI development.
G7 nations have convened in Evian, France, where government officials are sitting down with top executives from major AI firms including Anthropic, OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, and French startup Mistral. Topics on the table include AI competitiveness, regulatory frameworks, and dependence on China for critical minerals.
Meanwhile, more than 180,000 attendees — including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — are expected at VivaTech in Paris, where conversations are expected to center as much on geopolitics as on new technology.
Mistral, the French AI startup widely regarded as Europe’s strongest homegrown contender in the AI race, is deepening its ties with European businesses, especially in sectors where the region claims a competitive edge.
Still, despite billions of euros in investment, European AI companies continue to depend heavily on U.S.-controlled cloud systems, semiconductors, and foundational AI models.
France has emerged as one of the loudest voices calling for European technological self-reliance, with its government actively working to reduce its use of American providers in public services.
“We cannot rely on tools developed by foreign powers. France must have its own tools,” French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Tuesday.
The European Commission is currently reviewing the real-world impact of U.S. export control rules, insisting that any such measures should not unfairly target allied nations.
European officials have increasingly framed AI development as both an economic and a national security priority. The Commission has recently announced plans for AI “gigafactories” and large-scale computing facilities intended to give Europe sovereign control over its own computing power. Proposed legislation also aims to grow domestic cloud, AI, and semiconductor industries while reducing dependence on major U.S. technology companies — though critics argue Europe remains years behind its American rivals.
Telecoms company Orange captured the sentiment in a statement: “It’s patently clear, if it wasn’t before, how important it is for Europe to have access to an AI service that it can control, that will never be switched off on a whim.”
But building that independence comes with a price tag. Capgemini’s chief operating officer Karine Brunet noted that companies must weigh sovereignty goals against real costs, pointing out that European cloud alternatives can carry premiums of up to 40% compared to American options.
“The alternative is not simply replacing one provider with another,” said Francois Bitouzet, managing director of VivaTech. “It is about building more resilient technology strategies, where companies can draw on European innovation for the most critical parts of their stack while still working with global partners where it makes sense.”
