“We need our own cloud solutions. We need data centers.” – With these words, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a point that weighs heavily on many minds. Because this is about more than just technology. It’s about our sovereignty, our independence and whether Europe will remain an active player or merely a bystander as artificial intelligence, data processing, and digital business models set the pace. This is not just a rhetorical gesture, but a political signal. Technological dependence on non-European providers is real and growing.
The German government wants AI gigafactories in Germany to be high-performance data centers for a new era of digital solutions. The message: Computing power must not be an import commodity. Data, especially sensitive data, belong in European hands. And digital value creation should take place where the real benefit is generated: here, in our companies, our administrations, our hospitals.
What German companies need now: a digital infrastructure that delivers what it promises. One which is not only capable of conceptualizing AI, but running it. One that knows the regulatory framework, respects it, and yet enables innovation. The good news is most companies have realized that nothing works anymore without digital transformation. The bad news is many still stand like deer in the headlights.
The desire for digital independence is not a national quirk, but a logical step in a world where digital infrastructure, data, and IT systems are already highly relevant geopolitically. Today, those relying solely on hyperscalers for cloud services are relinquishing not just control, but the power to shape outcomes. That is dangerous and preventable.
We need to play together, not against each other – not even between European countries. If you want to be sovereign, you have to cooperate.
Dr. Ferri Abolhassan, CEO T-Systems and Board Member Deutsche Telekom
It is no coincidence that analyst firm Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) has just ranked Telekom and T-Systems as number one among the B2B ICT Service Providers in Germany. For over 20 years, we have played a decisive role in the development and utilization of cloud technologies. As early as 2004, we began virtualizing server infrastructures, thereby making us European pioneers in providing dynamically scalable IT resources to businesses.
We deliver what companies need: connectivity, data centers, cloud platforms, AI solutions, application know-how, and cybersecurity – all from a single source, coordinated, scalable, and GDPR-compliant. And most importantly here, in Germany and in Europe. Because we are also among the leaders Europe-wide, and according to PAC, we are “one of the fastest-growing vendors in the Top 15” when it comes to IT services.
Today, it is no longer about whether companies want to digitize. Most have understood that there is no alternative. What is missing is orientation. A clear path.
Digitization today is a complex bundle of competencies; AI, cloud, cybersecurity, along with a shortage of skilled workers and regulatory challenges, often all at once. What companies need now is a stable foundation in the digital environment. An infrastructure that can grow, that is secure, and that not only claims to uphold European values but reliably puts them into practice.
The question of who would use an AI gigafactory is a rhetorical one. From hospitals to automobile corporations, from public authorities to SMEs – the need is there. We are talking about applications that require enormously powerful hardware: 100,000 GPUs is a realistic figure. Add to that high-performance networks, security architectures, automated platforms for machine learning – all embedded in an energy-efficient, interoperable, and open infrastructure.
And this is exactly where we now need to deliver together: politics, business, science. It requires collaboration, not competition – even between European countries. Those who want sovereignty must cooperate.
The debate about sovereignty must turn into action and use. Now it’s about: Sovereignty. Simply. Do it! As Telekom, we are ready to contribute – with know-how, infrastructure, and investments. With NVIDIA, we are already setting the course for a European AI infrastructure.
But we are also convinced that sovereignty and digitization are not a walk in the park, but a sprint – one you can’t win alone. What do German companies need now? A digital homeland worthy of the name. And the courage to build it – together.
