- European companies and governments rely on US cloud services due to lock-in and lack of viable alternatives, requiring a two-step strategy to first bridge feature gaps and then stimulate adoption.
- A coherent cloud strategy involves multiple 'no regrets' actions, including enforcing GDPR, reforming procurement, building open-source cloud services, and fostering local talent development.
- Rather than recreating US hyperscalers, Europe should leverage existing strengths in hardware and networking, then develop and standardize open-source software for key cloud services to enable local providers.
- Funding for open-source cloud software (e.g., key-value stores, S3-like services, IAM) at modest levels can bootstrap a European cloud ecosystem, akin to building 'railroads' for the cloud economy.
- Governments must combine investment with legal enforcement and procurement reforms to drive adoption, ensuring European alternatives become practical and preferred over US services.