EU tech chief warns of reliance on US companies

RIO DE JANEIRO: Europe’s technology chief warned Thursday about the risks of relying too heavily on US tech companies in sensitive areas such as cybersecurity and defense.

EU tech sovereignty chief Henna Virkkunen was speaking in Brazil at Web Summit Rio — the Americas’ largest tech summit, which draws over 40,000 participants.

She said a push for European digital sovereignty did not imply protectionism or isolationism.

“The situation currently is that 80 percent of our technologies they are coming from outside of Europe” like artificial intelligence, she told a group of journalists on the sidelines of the summit.

“So we don’t want to be dependent only on third countries, only on USA companies,” for critical technology.

She said that was why Europe was now focused on building its own capacity and investing in training AI in “our languages, in our content, our values.”

The EU unveiled a plan earlier this month to slash dependence on American and Asian technology.

Virkkunen announced that Brazil will become Europe’s fifth digital partner — following Japan, Canada, Singapore and South Korea.

The EU and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s government will sign a deal Friday to deepen cooperation on data governance, AI, digital infrastructure and connectivity, and digital platforms.

Virkkunen noted that Brazil was also investing heavily in technology.

“There are 160 million internet users in Brazil and it is among the top 10 countries when it comes to the technology market. So, very big opportunities for both of us,” she said.