Data Innovation

In its push for digital sovereignty, the European Commission is reportedly planning to replace Microsoft Azure with the French cloud provider OVHcloud or another European alternative. But this move, while politically symbolic, would be costly. Far from enhancing security, this migration would sacrifice sound procurement and EU legal obligations in service of a hollow vision of digital nationalism.

The Senate's decision to remove the 10-year AI moratorium is a major setback for U.S. leadership in AI. The vote isn’t surprising given the criticism of the moratorium, but those critiques are misguided, and here's why.

South Korea’s export restrictions on mapping data act as a protectionist measure that unfairly limits competition from foreign firms. Korean policymakers should reform these rules not only to remove this non-tariff trade barrier but also to ensure that they do not hold back the use of geospatial data by emerging AI tools.

The American Science Acceleration Project (ASAP) is a timely effort to modernize the infrastructure that powers U.S. research. By improving how science is organized, resourced, and executed, ASAP can help unlock faster breakthroughs across a range of disciplines.

Schleswig-Holstein’s move to drop Microsoft for open-source tools reflects costly digital protectionism driven by politics, not practicality. EU governments should focus on evidence-based tech procurement over nationalist agendas.

State bans on data-driven pricing could backfire by eliminating personalized discounts that help consumers. A better approach is to enforce existing laws, pass federal privacy rules, and clarify what fair pricing looks like.

It is critical that, in tackling both these issues, the EU avoids engaging in digital protectionism, which would harm European competitiveness further.

The Center welcomes the European Commission’s ambition to accelerate the uptake of AI across the economy and public sector as part of its broader AI continent action plan.

Germany’s new coalition government has created a central digital ministry to finally accelerate its slow-moving AI agenda, aiming to modernize public services and support AI innovation. But success hinges on whether it prioritizes practical reform over symbolic sovereignty, especially amid EU regulations and global competition.

Fragmented and conflicting state AI regulations threaten to slow federal IT modernization, and a proposed 10-year moratorium aims to create a unified national framework to support innovation and maintain U.S. leadership in AI.