BERLIN — A growing share of German businesses say they would choose a cloud computing solution based entirely within Germany, even if it meant giving up some features, rather than continue relying heavily on foreign providers — especially those based in the United States, according to a survey released Wednesday.
The poll, conducted by German digital industry association Bitkom among 603 companies, found that 85% of respondents believe Germany is too dependent on U.S. cloud providers. That figure is up from 78% just one year ago.
The willingness to accept trade-offs for a Germany-only cloud solution has also grown sharply. Nearly 40% of companies said they would now use a cloud service that keeps all data processing within German borders, even if that came with drawbacks — a significant jump from 27% the previous year.
The survey also found that almost two-thirds of businesses currently using cloud computing feel pressured by U.S. government policies to reconsider how they manage their cloud operations. A year ago, that figure stood at 50%.
Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst stressed the urgency of the situation. “Germany needs to break free from one-sided dependencies in the cloud sector, particularly in light of the growing importance of AI and data,” he said.
