The causesare contentiousbut their impact is undeniable.
None of the10 most valuable tech firmsin the world are in Europe.
The US, meanwhile, is home to eight of them.
Inevitably, that builds dependencies on digital services from across the Atlantic.
Our businesses, our public services, and our critical infrastructure all depend on big tech companies.
We are all at the mercy of their whims, their weaknesses, and their rulers.
When just one of them stumbles, the fall can shake a continent.
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Last weeks historic IT outage provided a painful example.
The global chaos stemmed from a simple software update by Texas security vendor CrowdStrike.
It instantly crashed millions of machines running Microsoft Windows.
The meltdown soon scorched Europe.
Flights were grounded, payments frozen, and operations cancelled.
Market trading halted, TV stations went off-air, and government systems flatlined.
The mayhem was a reminder of big techs boundless power.
It also exposed the need for European challengers.
Chinas response to the outage strengthens the case.
CrowdStrike software hasnt been widely adopted in the Middle Kingdom.
The country instead relies onhomegrown alternatives.
Russia also largely avoided the disruption.
Sanctions have forced the country to develop domestic replacements for US software.
Thankfully,Europehasnt come under the same geopolitical pressure as China and Russia.
But the continent can still learn from their self-sufficiency.
We may not share their enmity with the US, but were still engulfed in the tensions.
Our companies are already ensnared in the hostilities.
The most valuable tech firm we have Dutch chip giant ASML hasbeen blockedfrom selling equipment to China.
Europe has also felt the force of tariffs from the White House.
With another dose ofAmerica First protectionism brewing, the need fortechsovereignty is growing.
As the IT outage showed, our digital infrastructure is already fragile enough.
Political developments can turn the cracks into ruins.
It evidently roused EU politicians.
Alexandra Geese, an MEP from the German Greens, called for Europe to build a new IT environment.
Butthe talentis already there.
The market is big enough.
And the need has never been greater.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
