Europe, open source, and digital sovereignty: the new technological paradigm

In recent years, we have witnessed a significant shift in the European technological landscape: a growing demand for less dependence on large U.S. tech companies and a stronger commitment to open-source solutions (open source). As seen at the OpenInfra Summit Europe, it is no longer artificial intelligence that dominates the debates, but rather digital sovereignty and open source ecosystems that allow Europe to regain control over its data, infrastructures, and software.

In essence, digital sovereignty means that a country, organization, or individual has the capacity to control its own digital infrastructure, data, and online processes — without excessive dependence on external entities or non-local tech giants.

Why has this issue become so urgent?

There are several reasons why Europe is now prioritizing this topic. Firstly, dependence on external providers poses risks that go beyond mere technology: at stake are legal sovereignty, regulatory risk, data ownership, and vulnerabilities in supply chains.

For example, laws such as the U.S. CLOUD Act or extraterritorial data access obligations make it clear that infrastructures hosted outside European control can be subject to foreign jurisdictions.

Moreover, the European digital economy estimates that open source already drives tens of billions of euros in activity — which gives political legitimacy to investing in alternatives instead of “buying more capacity from the U.S.”

The role of open source in the European strategy

Open source emerges as a central component of this new strategy because it allows, among other things, transparency in source code, the ability to audit, adapt or fork software, and to host systems on locally controlled infrastructures.

In practice, many of the “sovereign cloud” stacks across Europe are based on technologies such as OpenStack, Kubernetes, or Ceph — solutions with strong open source communities that can be audited and maintained locally.

For example, the French government’s sensitive cloud initiative (NUBO) or the German project “Sovereign Cloud Stack” are concrete examples of how open source is being mobilized to reduce dependence on proprietary providers.

Practical and economic challenges

This transition is not without challenges. One key issue is the total cost of ownership (TCO) and the problem of “vendor lock-in” — when a company becomes tied to a proprietary provider with no freedom to migrate or adapt. Open source helps mitigate that risk.

However, there are also skill-based obstacles: managing cloud-native infrastructures, operating open source models at scale, ensuring security and certifications — all of this requires investment in talent and ecosystems. Still, the incentives are there: national certification schemes (such as SecNumCloud in France) explicitly demand transparency, local hosting, and administrative independence — conditions in which open source excels.

Reflection: what does this mean for businesses and for Europe?

For companies operating in Europe — whether large or medium-sized — this movement represents both an opportunity and a warning. The opportunity lies in benefiting from more open infrastructures, less dependent on monolithic providers, and with greater control over their data and applications. The warning is that ignoring this trend may mean being “locked” into obsolete models, inflated costs, and greater exposure to geopolitical risks.

Furthermore, from a European perspective, this transition lays the foundation for a more autonomous, resilient technological ecosystem aligned with values of privacy, transparency, and sovereignty. However, it is not about “closing the door” to the world, but about rebalancing relationships: not abandoning global innovation, but ensuring that Europe also contributes to, hosts, governs, and benefits from it. It is a matter of autonomy, not isolation.

Expanding the topic: steps for organizational implementation

For an organization wishing to align with this trend, here are some practical steps:

• Map current technological dependencies: external providers, proprietary software, cloud services hosted outside Europe.
• Assess the level of risk: regulatory obligations, sensitive data, data residency, or auditability requirements.
• Explore open source or hybrid alternatives: consider projects that enable greater control and portability.
• Invest in internal skills or local partners: operating open source stacks and cloud-native infrastructures requires specific know-how.
• Integrate digital sovereignty as a technological decision-making criterion: not just “which is cheaper,” but “which offers greater autonomy and less dependency.”

For many companies, this also means rethinking the system lifecycle: adopting infrastructures that can evolve without being tied to proprietary licenses, allowing scalability and even portability between clouds or providers, and considering sovereignty as an integral part of IT strategy.

In summary, Europe is taking a decisive step in reevaluating its relationship with U.S. tech giants — not out of pure antagonism, but from strategic vision: regaining control, fostering more open ecosystems, and preparing for a digital future with fewer dependencies. Open source re-emerges as the logical driver of this transition. We also recall the words of Luis Cordeiro, CEO of Bydas, in 2012 in Semana Informática magazine, where he already provided context on this subject and foresaw its crucial importance for future generations.

For companies, this means opening their eyes to what it really means to choose technology in 2025 and beyond: it is not just about features or price — it is about dependency, sovereignty, and adaptability. The change may not be immediate, but it is already underway. The question is: are we ready for it?