Maar hoe bouw je die cloud? - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- Europe cannot rely on US clouds due to privacy and geopolitical risks, and lacks adequate European alternatives.
- Market forces have failed to create a real European cloud, requiring industrial policy and government intervention.
- Successful European projects like Galileo and Airbus show that strategic investment and collaboration can overcome initial doubts.
- Governments must develop in-house technical expertise to effectively manage industrial policy and avoid missteps.
- Smart procurement, not traditional subsidies, can drive innovation by specifying requirements like European jurisdiction over data.
- Specific initiatives like 'Eumail', 'Eutube', and a European anti-DDoS service could fill critical gaps without competing with free US services.
- Open source is essential but not sufficient; it needs commercial support, training, and business models that avoid selling user data.
- A German-style agency like SPRIND (fast, expert-driven innovation funding) could be replicated across Europe to fund breakthrough projects.
- A coherent strategy includes enforcing privacy laws, creative procurement, hiring experts, consolidating industry (Airbus-style), and preparing for trade disputes.
- Multiple parallel efforts are needed: government in-house projects, smart procurement, improved subsidies, and new innovation agencies.