Europe faces growing dependence on AI technologies developed primarily in the US and China. This reliance raises concerns about geopolitical influence and the potential for restricted access to advanced models, as seen in June when the US government directed Anthropic to limit foreign access to its AI systems.
To address these risks, the European Commission initiated a program in July to establish up to seven AI Gigafactories. This project is supported by €10 billion in public funding from the EU and national governments, with the goal of attracting at least €20 billion in private investment.
The challenge for European businesses extends to the ownership of operational knowledge and data processed by external AI platforms. Companies risk losing control over their internal processes and intellectual property by embedding their workflows into systems owned by foreign vendors.
Experts suggest that Europe should focus on developing an applied AI layer rather than attempting full self-sufficiency in model building. By creating infrastructure that allows for model flexibility and system governance, European firms can maintain control over their operations while leveraging global AI advancements.
