The Center for Data Innovation submitted these comments in response to the European Commission’s consultation on its future cloud and AI policies in the EU, which forms preparatory work for the Cloud and AI Development Act and a single EU-wide cloud policy for public administrations and public procurement.
The Center recognises the European Commission’s concerns over EU computing capacity. Data centres play a key role in the acceleration of AI development and deployment—a significant factor of the EU’s competitiveness strategy—to which the EU currently lacks. The Center also acknowledges the lack of competitive EU-based cloud computing services. It is critical that, in tackling both these issues, the EU avoids engaging in digital protectionism, which would harm European competitiveness further.
Instead, the European Commission should:
- Reform public procurement to prioritise performance and innovation whilst preserving open markets; and
- Address barriers for cloud service providers to enable innovation-led cloud competitiveness.
