The US government’s decision to restrict foreign access to certain new AI models has strengthened the resolve of European tech sovereignty supporters, who are calling for EU businesses to reduce their dependence on American cloud service providers.

The Commission’s proposed Cloud and AI Development Act (CAIDA) suggests that governments should reduce their reliance on US cloud services, but does not include any binding measures for private companies. But the recent US decision to cut access to the AI models Mythos 5 and Fable 5, which Amazon Web Services implemented immediately, is fuelling calls to strengthen the proposal.

Frank Karlitschek, co-founder of the German software provider Nextcloud, agreed, arguing that the Commission’s current CAIDA proposal includes “weak” rules for the public sector and no rules for the private sector.

Franco-German divide?

The debate could, however, split two European heavyweights.

French Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff wrote on her social media on Sunday that the shutdown “strengthens my resolve” in favour of EU tech sovereignty. France has historically pushed for the strictest EU cloud sovereignty rules, and Le Hénanff’s comments suggest that Paris could advocate for stronger requirements for the private sector.

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