Europe's dependence on U.S. cloud services has become a political risk

Europe is in a dangerous dependence on American cloud services. This threatens not only technological sovereignty, but also becomes a serious political risk in relations with Washington.

Who Controls Europe's Cloud Infrastructure

Europe's AI and cloud computing industry relies almost entirely on American companies. Nvidia and AMD supply GPU chips that provide the computational power for training large language models. AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud dominate the cloud services market in the region. European companies and states have no alternatives of comparable power and remain in the role of consumers of American technologies.

Political and Strategic Risk

Such dependence creates a vulnerability that extends far beyond technical issues. In case of trade conflicts, sanctions, or political confrontation, the US could restrict access to critical technologies. Europe would lose control over its own data and computational resources. Even without direct sanctions, American companies bound by American legislation could be forced to block access for European clients.

• Absence of European alternatives to latest-generation GPU chips
• Complete dependence of cloud infrastructure on three American giants
• Risk of access blockade in case of political conflicts
• Leakage of critical corporate and state data

How to Escape the Trap

The European Commission has already recognized the problem. Initiatives like European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) are attempting to develop their own computational capabilities. But progress is slow, and requirements are growing. Large-scale investments in the semiconductor industry, proprietary cloud platforms, and AI infrastructure are needed. Only then can Europe reduce its dependence and gain real control over its digital ecosystem.

What It Means

Cloud dependence is not just a technical issue. It is a matter of national security and political influence. Europe needs to make a choice: either remain a consumer of American technologies or invest in its own ecosystem. Every year of delay makes this task increasingly difficult.