1. Digital sovereignty is a red herring
First paradox: Jean-Baptiste Kempf begins by deconstructing the very concept of digital sovereignty. In his view, no modern economy can function in isolation. “You didn’t get up at 4am to make your croissant,” he tells the audience. The challenge, therefore, is not to be completely independent, but to be aware of one’s dependencies and to retain the ability to change them.
However, in the digital sector, many companies have accepted a model of exclusive dependence: a single cloud provider, a single operating system, a single office suite. He considers this situation to be abnormal. “If you did that in the automotive industry, people would think you were mad.”
In his view, the acquisition of VMware and the subsequent price rises illustrate the risks associated with this concentration. Given that Europe spends nearly $300bn a year on US technology companies, the issue of diversification is becoming a strategic priority.
2. Artificial intelligence is changing the nature of risk
With generative AI, the issues surrounding dependency take on a whole new dimension. Until now, outsourcing cloud or email services was primarily a cost-benefit decision. Now, however, it is customer data, internal processes and, in some cases, the very know-how of organisations that are being channelled through these tools. “You don’t always know where your data is going or how it is being processed,” he warns.
Added to this is an industrial challenge. The infrastructure required for AI development is reaching unprecedented levels. Whereas a server rack consumed around 10kW a few years ago, AI-dedicated equipment can now consume up to 600kW. For Kempf, companies that remain on the sidelines run the risk of gradually losing control of their own tools. “If you don’t understand what’s happening with AI, you’re done for,” he sums up.
3. Open source always finds its place in the end
To those who regularly proclaim the death of open source in the face of tech giants, Jean-Baptiste Kempf counters with his own experience. VLC was supposed to disappear with the advent of streaming. The major proprietary AI models seemed destined for unchallenged dominance. Yet open alternatives are gradually emerging, such as DeepSeek.
For him, this phenomenon is almost inevitable. When a technology becomes essential, a community always ends up making it its own. He sums up this logic using a culinary metaphor: it’s better to have the recipe for the cake than to depend on the person selling it. If the baker triples his prices overnight, you still know how to make it yourself.
4. Europe already has what it takes
He believes that the problem facing Europe is not a lack of skills. He argues that the example of ASML in the Netherlands illustrates the continent’s industrial potential. The company is currently the only one in the world capable of producing the machines used to manufacture the most advanced microchips.
Europe is also home to some of the world’s leading expertise in electronics, semiconductor design and software development. Yet, he laments, the continent has gradually allowed some of the value created to slip away. “We collectively decided it was too difficult. So we handed all the money over to the Americans.”
Rebuilding certain technological capabilities will require significant investment. But for Kempf, the real issue is not a financial one. It is, above all, a matter of political and strategic choices.
5. Europe should take inspiration from the open-source model
The final message is also the most political. How can a common digital strategy be developed among 27 Member States with sometimes divergent interests? For Jean-Baptiste Kempf, open source already provides part of the answer.
For decades, thousands of developers across the globe have been collaborating on joint projects despite their cultural, linguistic and geographical differences. What they have in common is a shared goal. It is precisely this ability to cooperate on the basis of shared interests that the European Union must strengthen.
