OVHcloud highlights the importance of digital sovereignty for the European Union at the Digital SME Summit
At the Digital SME Summit, organized by the European Digital SME Alliance on December 10 in Brussels, OVHcloud emphasized the importance for the European Union to assert its digital sovereignty and strengthen the competitiveness of innovative European companies. The event brought together the new Commissioner Henna Virkkunen (in charge of Tech Sovereignty) and over 600 political, economic, academic, and civil society representatives. The summit aimed to showcase the potential of European digital small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in achieving technological sovereignty and position Europe at the forefront of digital technology.
During her first public speech since her nomination, Executive Vice-President Virkkunen underlined the critical role of SMEs in building the future of European digital sovereignty and committed to increase their competitiveness. The successful digital transformation of these companies is essential to achieving this goal. However, less than 40% of SMEs have adopted cloud technology[1], and less than 10% use artificial intelligence, even though the EU aims for a 75% adoption rate by 2030[2], that is currently considered as unattainable by the Commission[3]. To accelerate this transition, it is necessary to guarantee trust and access to these technologies. OVHcloud, Europe's leading cloud provider and a trusted player, is the partner of choice to support the digital transformation of these companies.
At the Digital SME Summit, OVHcloud, represented by Anne Duboscq, Director of Public Affairs and Communication, participated in the roundtable on “Fostering Digital Resilience in the Era of Economic Security”. As a proponent of a sovereign, open, sustainable, and reversible cloud for 25 years, OVHcloud outlined four key actions for making the European Union a technological leader of the future, based on the European innovation roadmap:
1. Innovate with European resources,
2. Innovate with European values of trust, transparency, and ethics,
3. Innovate with fair rules and the elimination of anti-competitive practices,
4. Innovate with European funding, by directing public procurement to promote European innovation.
As the new European mandate begins, it is essential that all players, including digital service users, providers, public entities, policymakers, and economic decision-makers, take responsibility to design the future of European digital technology collectively, without compromising our values, resilience, and competitiveness.
Anne Duboscq, Director of Public Affairs and Communication, stated, "The European Union has recognized the importance of digital sovereignty to enhance its competitiveness. With its talent, innovative companies, particularly SMEs and micro-enterprises, and its core values, Europe has all the assets to foster the emergence of technological champions. By combining our strengths, we can achieve this goal."
As a global player and European cloud leader, OVHcloud currently operates 24 of its 43 data centers and 9 Local Zones within the European Union. By the first quarter of 2025, the Group plans to further expand its presence in the EU with 8 additional Local Zones. With 25 years of experience, OVHcloud aims to embody European innovation based on strong values. As a pioneer of trusted cloud and sustainable cloud, OVHcloud offers its customers the latest-generation solutions combining performance, predictable pricing, and complete data sovereignty to support their unfettered growth.
[1] European Commission
[2] European Commission
[3] European Commission
