European companies cannot afford to wait for technological sovereignty. The most mature AI capability available today largely comes from international providers, European alternatives will likely take several years to become fully competitive across the board, and the experience an organisation builds by deploying is itself a capability that waiting never creates. Sovereignty remains essential to reducing long-term dependence on foreign technology, and it is pursued in parallel with adoption, through clear AI governance, data security, compliance and vendor management, rather than treated as a precondition. Writing in Computable, our co-founder and Senior Value Partner Rad Parvin set out the dilemma in European boardrooms.
Rad's argument
There is a strong desire to invest in trusted European technology, and the most mature AI capability available today largely comes from international providers, so CIOs face a choice between waiting for European alternatives to mature and investing now in technology that delivers immediate business value. European initiatives are making real progress, and he expects it will still take several years before they are fully competitive across the board, a long time for an organisation that needs to compete today.
Rad’s answer reframes the dilemma. The real challenge is striking the right balance between sovereignty and innovation, not choosing between them. As he puts it, "Technological sovereignty is an important strategic objective, but it should not be a prerequisite for unlocking the value of AI today."
What deploying now builds
Organisations that deploy AI successfully improve operational efficiency, speed up decision-making and strengthen their capacity to innovate. They also gain something the technology itself cannot supply, hands-on experience with new ways of working and employees with the skills to embed AI sustainably in the organisation. As Rad writes,
“That learning process is at least as valuable as the technology itself.”
None of that accumulates while an organisation waits.
The cloud precedent
Europe has faced this decision before. During the rise of cloud computing, many organisations adopted international platforms because they were available sooner and offered more advanced capability. That dependence has since become a subject of debate, and those same platforms made the digital transformation of countless organisations possible. Rad's point is that a similar situation is unfolding with AI today, and for organisations that need to remain competitive now, several years is a long time to wait.
Balance in practice
None of this makes sovereignty unimportant. Quite the opposite. Investing in European AI capability, transparency and digital autonomy is essential to reducing long-term dependence on foreign technology. The pursuit simply runs alongside adoption rather than ahead of it. In practice that means clear AI governance, strong attention to data security, compliance and vendor management, and room to deploy the most appropriate technology for each business case. Organisations that strike this balance get value from AI today whilst preparing for a future with more European alternatives, and helping enterprises strike it is the work we do alongside our clients.
Read Rad Parvin's full piece, Europese bedrijven kunnen niet wachten op technologische soevereiniteit (in Dutch), on Computable, 15 September 2026.
