Europe’s Open Source Plan to Ditch US Tech Giants Gains Steam
▼ Summary
– Europeans are shifting from US tech products due to distrust in American companies and government policies, prioritizing digital sovereignty.
– Digital sovereignty involves controlling digital infrastructure and data independently, reducing reliance on foreign entities and large tech firms.
– Open-source software is central to this movement, enabling resilience and control without isolation, as highlighted by industry leaders.
– EU governments and organizations are adopting open-source solutions, replacing Microsoft services and implementing sovereign cloud initiatives.
– European companies are offering open-source-based programs like OpenStack to support digital sovereignty, driven by concerns over price increases and vendor lock-in.
A powerful shift toward digital sovereignty is gaining momentum across Europe, as governments and businesses actively seek to reduce their reliance on American technology giants. This strategic pivot is fueled by a growing distrust of US-based corporations and the policies of the US government. The movement is finding its strongest ally in open-source technology, which provides the foundational tools for this newfound independence.
At a recent major European technology conference, the dominant topic of conversation was not artificial intelligence, but rather this push for technological self-reliance. The head of the OpenInfra Foundation pointedly avoided mentioning AI in his keynote, instead focusing entirely on the concept of digital sovereignty. This principle refers to the capacity of a nation or organization to command its own digital destiny, controlling its infrastructure, data, and technological processes without being overly dependent on foreign entities.
The sentiment was echoed by other industry leaders, who clarified that the goal is not isolationism but resilience. The objective is to build systems that can withstand unforeseen global shifts and disruptions. Open-source software is seen as the perfect vehicle for this, enabling nations to maintain control over their applications and data while still participating in worldwide collaboration.
This philosophy is not merely theoretical. A major European cloud provider shared that a deep-seated wariness of centralization, rooted in personal history, has driven its business model from the beginning. This company builds its own hardware, establishes distinct legal structures, and ensures strong jurisdictional separation between its international subsidiaries to deliver the high level of fiscal and legal isolation its customers demand.
The commitment to sovereignty is translating into concrete action. In the past year, numerous European government bodies have made the switch from proprietary Microsoft software to open-source alternatives. A German state famously migrated its entire email system away from Microsoft Exchange and Outlook. This trend is widespread, with the Austrian military, various Danish government agencies, and the French city of Lyon all making similar moves to reclaim their digital independence.
The European political apparatus is formally supporting this transition. The European Commission has appointed its first executive vice president specifically for tech sovereignty, security, and democracy, tasked with confronting security threats that include over-dependence on non-European tech services.
National projects are bringing this vision to life. France’s Ministry of Economics and Finance, for instance, has launched a significant cloud initiative for its most sensitive data. Built on OpenStack, this private cloud is a years-long investment in sovereign infrastructure, with future plans to develop a homegrown, sovereign distribution of Kubernetes.
To support this ecosystem, a growing number of European companies are offering technology programs designed to help users achieve digital sovereignty. Providers like Deutsche Telekom, OVH, STACKIT, and VanillaCore are leveraging OpenStack to power Europe-based cloud services for individuals, companies, and the public sector. Other firms, including SUSE and NextCloud, are also providing sovereign digital solutions using a variety of open-source programs.
Beyond geopolitical concerns, practical business decisions by US tech firms are accelerating this exodus. Recent price hikes for Microsoft 365 subscriptions have caused significant frustration. Similarly, Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware and the subsequent dramatic increase in costs have pushed many customers toward open-source alternatives. This has resulted in a notable surge in adoption for office suites like LibreOffice and Collabora Online, as well as a migration of VMware workloads to OpenStack-based platforms.
Industry observers agree that the sovereignty movement has reached a critical mass. It is the dominant topic in EU policy and business circles, and open source is universally recognized as its essential engine. The core appeal of open source, as one cloud executive noted, is that it prevents vendor lock-in; no single entity can restrict access or take the technology away, and the community can freely adapt the code to meet its needs anywhere on the globe.
The consensus is clear: Europe’s sovereign cloud initiative is no longer a niche idea but a mainstream reality. As organizations repatriate their data from US-based hyperscale clouds, they are recognizing the need for greater private infrastructure capacity and local expertise. They are turning to open source because, ultimately, a vibrant, collaborative open-source community is what provides the resilience they are seeking.
(Source: ZDNET)
