Aiman Ezzat, CEO of Capgemini, has publicly rejected the idea of complete technological autonomy for the Old Continent, calling it unrealistic. Although the head of the French IT giant dresses it up as pragmatism, for many business and political leaders his words are an admission of an enduring dependence on Silicon Valley.
Positioning itself as a ‘bridge’ between Brussels and the US hyperscalers, Capgemini is promoting a model in which European companies manage data and operations, but outsource the computing itself to AWS, Google or Microsoft infrastructure. This approach, while convenient in the short term, raises fundamental questions about the security and competitiveness of the region in the long term.
Dependency architecture
Ezzat divides sovereignty into four layers: data, operations, regulation and technology. He argues that control over the first three is enough for Europe to feel secure. However, it is the fourth layer – pure computing power and hardware – that is the foundation of the AI economy.
Leaving this layer in the hands of US giants means that European companies build their most innovative solutions on ‘rented ground’. In the face of transatlantic and volatile US trade policy, such a model makes Europe hostage to decisions made in Seattle or Mountain View. “Sovereign AI solutions” offered by Capgemini may turn out to be merely an aesthetic overlay on systems over which Europe has no real technical control.
Between ethics and profit
Critics reproach Capgemini for their vision of sovereignty being tailored to current contracts rather than the strategic interests of the region. The company itself is struggling with image problems – the recent decision to sell its US arm handling government contracts shows how difficult it is to reconcile the role of ‘independent advisor’ with aggressive expansion in the US market.
Partnerships with local players, such as Mistral AI, are presented as evidence of supporting the European ecosystem. However, as long as these models are trained and hosted on Microsoft servers, talk of a ‘European champion’ remains a mere marketing ploy. The lesson from Ezzat’s speech is a cautionary tale: accepting ‘bridging solutions’ can mean permanently giving up on building our own capabilities.
