ITI Backs EU Data Center Ambition, But Says Sovereignty Criteria Should Reward Trust Over Origin
BRUSSELS – Global tech trade association ITI, the Information Technology Industry Council, responded today to the European Commission’s Tech Sovereignty Package, which includes the Cloud and AI Development Act (CAIDA), the Chips Act 2.0, and a Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in Energy. ITI welcomed the package’s measures to scale Europe’s digital infrastructure but cautioned that CAIDA’s sovereignty framework, in its current form, could work against the dynamic cloud market the Commission is trying to build.
“Europe’s push for sovereignty to ensure security and resilience of digital infrastructure is a legitimate ambition. However, the proposal’s focus on geographic and nationality-based criteria is not conducive to effective sovereignty outcomes. Also, significant new administrative requirements, such as third-party auditing, would make the very market Europe is trying to grow less dynamic and competitive,” said Guido Lobrano, Director General for Europe at ITI. “On the positive side, CAIDA gets the capacity question right: easing permitting and creating better conditions for data center development is how you support Europe’s growing cloud and AI needs. The sovereignty framework should follow that same logic. Trusted provider criteria – governance, risk assessment, transparency, control – are what produces real outcomes and a competitive ecosystem. We’re ready to work with co-legislators on striking that balance.”
On the Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in Energy, ITI said the Commission’s recognition that Europe’s digital and energy transitions must advance together is encouraging. Digital technologies and AI can play a major role in improving grid efficiency, integrating renewables, and strengthening energy resilience. ITI noted the Commission’s more evidence-based approach to minimum performance standards as a positive development, while stressing that sustainability measures and expectations around data centre flexibility must remain realistic and support – rather than constrain – the infrastructure deployment Europe needs.
On the open source, ITI underscored its support for open source as a driver of global collaboration and innovation while emphasising that real-world digital ecosystems rely on both open source and proprietary technologies. Flexibility in the framework will be key: different goals require different tools, and organisations need the room to choose the technologies that best meet their needs.