A new whitepaper released by GITEX AI EUROPE, in collaboration with research firm LUE, outlines a forward-looking blueprint for Europe’s digital sovereignty. Titled Digital Sovereignty: Technology Leadership Made in Europe, the report identifies four foundational pillars poised to shape the continent’s innovation landscape over the next decade. With Europe’s ICT market valued at €1.02 trillion, the study underscores that long-term competitiveness depends on scaling compute power, building sovereign cloud architectures, embedding open-source standards, and unlocking deeper capital to support deep-tech growth.
Compute Power Becomes Europe’s New Industrial Driver
The whitepaper emphasises that Europe’s data centre capacity is set to grow by 70 percent by 2030, yet AI-driven demand is increasing at an even faster rate. To keep pace, Europe must scale its compute and energy infrastructure simultaneously. Germany may need to triple its current capacity by 2030, requiring up to €60 billion in investments to meet expected AI and industrial workloads.
Initiatives like the EU’s €200 billion InvestAI programme, supporting five AI gigafactories across the continent, reinforce this shift. These centres will house more than 100,000 specialised GPUs and will be accessible to enterprises, startups, and research institutes. The whitepaper notes that compute expansion must integrate clean energy solutions to strengthen resilience and align digital sovereignty with Europe’s broader energy transition.
Sovereign Cloud as a Strategic Imperative
Cloud autonomy emerges as a key frontier in the GITEX AI EUROPE study. Currently, nearly 40 percent of European enterprises run 40 percent or more of their applications in the cloud, a figure expected to rise to 91 percent by 2028. However, non-European hyperscalers control roughly 70 percent of the market.
The report calls for sovereign-first cloud infrastructure that ensures operational, legal, and data control within European jurisdictions. This approach aims to create an environment where transparency, auditability, and innovation thrive under European standards without sacrificing global collaboration.
Open Source as a Catalyst for European Leadership
Open-source cloud technologies are highlighted as a crucial asset in Europe’s quest for digital sovereignty. Solutions built on open-source software offer transparency, flexibility, and independence from commercial lock-in.
The whitepaper cites the Sovereign Cloud Stack (SCS), funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, as an example of how open standards can accelerate platform mobility and shared innovation. Through open-source ecosystems, Europe gains the ability to innovate cooperatively while controlling its digital infrastructure.
Strengthening Europe’s Deep-Tech Investment Landscape
The whitepaper stresses that digital sovereignty relies on investment as much as infrastructure. Despite Europe’s strong engineering talent, only about 5 percent of global venture capital flows into the EU tech ecosystem.
To bridge this gap, the report calls for a new wave of growth-stage financing supported by public-private partnerships and strategic industrial funds. Government-led initiatives already taking shape include Germany’s €1 billion KfW DeepTech Future Fund and the EU’s €3 billion IPCEI on Next-Generation Cloud and Services. These programmes aim to ensure that Europe’s deep-tech startups in AI, semiconductors, and cloud technologies can scale globally while staying rooted in Europe.
GITEX AI EUROPE 2026: A Global Convergence for Tech Leadership
Organised by KAOUN International and endorsed by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, GITEX AI EUROPE debuted this year as Europe’s flagship event for technology, startups, and digital investment. The launch edition gathered more than 1,400 companies and startups from over 34 European nations and 100 countries worldwide.
The upcoming 2026 edition, taking place from 30 June to 1 July at Messe Berlin, will again serve as the continent’s leading hub connecting AI, deep tech, cyber, quantum, and cloud decision-makers. The event aims to rally policymakers, investors, and innovators committed to building an open and collaborative digital future for Europe.
GITEX AI EUROPE is part of the global GITEX network spanning the UAE, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Serbia, Singapore, Türkiye, and Vietnam.
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